A Keeper and His Huntress
by PinkRedRose
Summary: The story of Warden Mahariel is known to all, but very few to none at all know the story of their parents. This is the story of a keeper, Magnus Mahariel, and his beloved huntress, Lara Tarsis. Follow the story of their very first meeting which ultimately led to love, lies, and tragedy.
1. Prologue 1:Lara Tarsis

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

* * *

"I've been fighting to be who I am all my life. What's the point of being who I am, if I can't have the person who was worth all the fighting for?"  
— Stephanie Lennox (I Don't Remember You)

**Prologue 1:Lara Tarsis**

* * *

The sun, having spent the entire day shining brightly in the sky, was now finally setting while the moon prepared to take it's place, signaling the end of day and the beginning of night. Clouds of all shapes and sizes were admired by those watching from below during daytime and now the bright stars that replaced them during nighttime would be admired until sunrise the next morning.

All the beauty of the sky went unnoticed, however, by one person in particular. Short, titian-colored, curly hair was pulled up into a tight chignon rather than undone and stopping at it's owner's shoulders as it usually was. Light blue eyes were narrowed as they never once left the target just a few feet in front of them, and slowly, with a carefulness that only years of experience and training could have given them, the archer nocked their final arrow and shut their eyes for one, brief moment to send a silent prayer to both the goddess of hunt and the mother of the halla, the latter of which's design graced the archer's brow as their chosen _vallaslin_.

'Help me, oh faithful _Andruil_, and wonderful _Ghilan'nain_, to never forget _Vir Tanadahl, Vir Assan, __Vir Bor'assan, _and most importantly _Vir_ _Adahlen. _Help me make my clan proud _mahvir _night and do not let me fail them.' _  
_

Light blue eyes snapped open as the arrow was released. It flew straight, and it did not waver. A triumphant smirk spread across the archer's face as they stepped into the fading sunlight's view, fully revealing a young elven woman who had spent the entire day since sunrise, after quickly completing her chores, practicing her aim for the _Arlathvhen_ _mahvir_ night where she would be representing her clan, the Levine Clan, in the traditional archery competition.

The fact that Keeper Zathrian had chosen her was a great honor to the elven huntress known as Lara Tarsis, for it was normally a Dalish clan's Chief Hunter or the former's future successor who was chosen to represent their clan in archery, but rather than choose Athras, who was still young and thus had yet to choose a future successor, the keeper chose Lara. As one of the clan's finest hunters, she was expected to win without a doubt, that was what Keeper Zathrian had made sure to remind her of for the past few weeks, at least, though both Athras and his wife, Danyla, had assured Lara that so long as she did her best, that would be enough in the eyes of the rest of the clan even if she did not win.

"Excellent shot, _da'assan_. I've no doubt you will do us all proud in the archery competition _mahvir _night."

Lara twisted around to see Master Varathorn, the clan's craftsman, as well someone who had been like a big brother to her for years, standing behind her with a wide smile on his face. It was from him that Lara had learned how to carve her own bow, and it was he who had given her one of her most cherished possessions, a combat dagger, just a few days after she recieved her _vallaslin_ of _Ghilan'nain _so many years ago.

"_Ma serannas_, Master Varathorn." The huntress said, bowing in appreciation to him for his small praise.

The craftsman chuckled at her, nodding back."_Madar'ir'creoso__, da'assan." _He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow."And what have I told you about formalities?"

Lara blushed, bowing her apologetically."_Abelas, lethallin_. It is a habbit I have yet to break, I fear."

"So long as you don't break your **bow** in the gathering _mahvir_ night, I don't think anyone really cares." Athras jested with a grin as he, Danyla, Elora, the clan's halla-keeper who wore the same design as and shared an _aravel_ witn Lara, and _Hahren_ Sarel, the clan's storyteller, all came to stand beside Varathorn. Danyla gave Athras a light smack on the arm to shut him up.

"Oh, _hollen na anto, _Athras." Lara said, rolling her eyes at him before smirking wryly and placing her hands on her hips in a very triumphant manner."You're just jealous that Keeper Zathrian chose me instead of you to represent us in the archery competition."

"And you're just jealous that you're still single and I'm not." He teased.

Snorting, Lara raised an eyebrow at Danyla."Seriously, _lethallan_, what do you see in him?" She asked wryly.

"I'm inclined to ask the same." Elora muttered under her breath while Sarel chortled to himself in amusement and Varathorn rolled his eyes with a sigh at their usual antics.

Danyla shrugged."I felt sorry for him." She replied nonchalantly.

"Hey!" Everyone laughed at Athras's indignant yell, causing him to grumble to himself and look away from them. Smiling, Danyla placed a kiss on his cheek.

"I'm just kidding, _ma vhenan_." She assured him."I chose you because _ar lath ma_."

Lara put on a disgusted face as they kissed."Oh, get an _aravel_, would you?"

"I agree." Sarel said with a nod."Or at least wait until you two are _u_. I find public displays of affection to be-"

"Inappropriate?" Lara interrupted with a smirk that made him roll his eyes at her in exasperation, but she paid no attention to it."Is there honestly anything that you **don't** find inappropriate, _lethallin_?"

"Himself, maybe?" Athras said with a shrug.

Sarel rolled his eyes again when they laughed loudly at him."_Ir'samahl_." He let out a sigh."Just be glad none of you have to look after the _len_. As much as I enjoy telling _era'en_ to **our** _len_, I find the other clans' _len_ to be very-"

"Inappropriate?" Danyla asked teasingly.

"Loud?" Varathorn offered.

"Annoying?" Elora suggested.

"Extremely unpleasant and disobedient, actually." He said dryly then sighed. Everyone else snickered in response before silence soon fell upon them.

"Who knows, _lethallan_? Elora broke the silence, smiling softy at Lara."Maybe you'll find a very nice certain someone at the gathering _mahvir_ night and make him _na vhenan'ara_."

Lara scoffed, rolling her eyes."_Emma'din isala'lath'sahlin, _ma serannas ir'limb, ma falon." ___  
_

"Someone's going to die _u_." Athras muttered, grinning. Danyla quickly brought up a hand to unsuccessfully muffle the way she tittered to herself at her husband and her friend's antics.

Lara glared at him."_Hollen na anto_, Athras." She snapped icily.

"And if I don't?" He retorted, arms crossed and eyebrow raised. He then let out a yelp as he barely ducked down in time to avoid the rock Lara suddenly threw at him in response while everyone else laughed loudly at him in amusement and Lara just smirked and folded her arms over her chest with an air of superiority and the slightest hint of arrogance crossing her face for just a moment.

'_Andruil_ be my witness, I **will** win the archery competition and make my entire clan proud of me at the gathering _mahvir_ night."

* * *

_Okay, so, as you all can see this chapter has been rewritten and so has the entire story itself in general. I have decided to redo this from the very beginning for personal reasons and I am sorry to those who enjoyed reading first version of this story, but I promise you that you will enjoy this version even more and I encourage new readers to come read this as well. I also request that you read my other Dragon Age story The Heroines of Ferelden which is currently on hiatus becuase some events and characters from this story will appear and be mentioned as well in that story too. Oh, and the Levine Clan is just a pretty, little made-up name for Zathrian's clan since Bioware never felt the need to give us one. _

_Elven Translations: _

_Vallaslin - (Literally: Blood writing) The art of tattooing adopted by the Dalish to display their worship of the traditional elven pantheon. It also signifies each elf's coming into the status of adulthood among their clan._

_Andruil - Goddess of hunt_

_Ghilan'nain - Mother of the halla_

_Vir Tanadahl - Way of three trees_

_Vir Assan - Way of the arrow_

_Vir Bor'assan - Way of the bow_

_Vir Adahlen - Way of the forest_

_Mahvir - Tomorrow _

_Arlathvhen (Literally: For love of the people) Meeting of the Dalish clans that occurs every ten years._

_Da'assan - Little arrow; Master Varathorn's nickname for Lara._

_Ma serannas - My thanks/Thank you_

_Madar'ir'creoso - You are very welcome _

_Abelas - (Literally: Sorrow) Sorry_

_Hollen na anto - Shut your mouth_

_Hahren - Elder; term of respect. _

_Lethallan - Friend/Kinswoman (Female)_

_Lethallin - Friend/Kinsman (Male)_

_Len - Child/Children_

_Aravel - A wagon or tent used by the Dalish; humans call them "landships" _

_Era'en - Stories/Tales/Dreams_

_Ma vhenan - My heart_

_Ar lath ma - I love you_

_U - Alone _

_Ir'samahl (Literally: Very laugh/laughter) Very funny _

_Na vhenan'ara - Your heart's desire_

_Emma'din isala'lath'sahlin, ma serannas ir'limb, ma falon. - I am not in need of love in this moment, thank you very much, my friend._

_Name Meaning:_

_Lara - Shining/Cheerful/Protection/Famous_

_Next up: Prologue 2:Magnus Mahariel_


	2. Prologue 2:Magnus Mahariel

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

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"A leader of men must make decisions quickly, be independent; act and stand firm; be a fighter; speak openly, plainly, frankly; make defeats his lessons; cooperate; coordinate; use the best of any alliances or allies; walk with active faith courageously toward danger or the unknown; create a staff; know, love and represent the best interests of his followers; be loyal, true, frank and faithful; reward loyalty; have a high, intelligent, and worthy purpose and ideal. Do justice; love mercy; fear no man but fear only God."  
— John W Dodge

**Prologue 2:Magnus Mahariel**

* * *

Earlier that same day, the Sabrae Clan's camp, located only a few miles away from the Levine Clan's camp, was booming with activity. Hunters were out in the forest to check their traps and kill as many animals as they could until sunset so there would be enough food for the _Arlathvhen mahvir_ night while all of the _hahren'en_ and _asha'en_ who did not serve as hunters were preparing what food they already had and a few of the older _len_ either assisted their parents with decorations or looked after the much younger _len_ who were running around like wilds animals as they laughed among themselves and brazenly ignored anyone who told them to quiet down. It wasn't until one _len_ made the mistake of accidentally bumping into _Hahren_ Paivel that they finally calmed down a little bit after receiving an annoyed glare and long lecture from the clan's elderly storyteller.

A young elven girl with long blonde hair and bright green eyes glinting with a certain kind of wisdom that was otherwise beyond someone her age made her way through the camp, careful not to bump into anyone as everyone hurried to make sure everything was ready for the upcoming gathering. Placing her staff behind her, the elven girl sighed in relief as she looked down to see that the basket of freshly-gathered herbs under her arm was still there and she had not dropped it. She had spent all morning out in the forest finding all of these special herbs for the keeper, one of which she did not even know existed until she saw it on the list the keeper had given her this morning.

The elven girl quickened her pace to get through the crowd more easily, eventually coming to a stop in front of one _aravel_ that stood out amongst the others. She hesitated for a moment to enter, peeking inside the unclosed flaps of the _aravel_ to see the keeper, a handsome young elven man clad in Dalish robes while his staff had been put to the side next to his bedroll. He was looking down at an ancient elven tome in his hands.

The keeper's dark blue eyes glinted with something resembling patience, kindness, cheerfulness, and great wisdom all rolled into one. His dark black hair was cut short, and the keeper himself was very tall and muscular beneath the robes he wore, but most of all, peace seemed to simply reflect off of him just like the powerful magic cursing through him that made him who he was as a keeper. Another thing that made him stand out from most keepers other than his merciful nature was the unique _vallaslin_ of _June_ on his face rather than the designs of either _Mythal_ or _Elgar'nan_ that all of the other keepers typically wore.

"_Aneth ara_, keeper." The elven girl cleared her throat loudly, nodding respectfully to him as she entered.

Blinking, Magnus Mahariel closed the tome in his hands and turned to face his first with a smile."_Aneth ara, da'len_." He nodded back at her, putting away the tome and accepting the basket of herbs she handed him with another bright smile."I see you have brought me the herbs I asked for you to find this morning." He nodded again."_Ma serannas, _Marethari."

Marethari looked away to hide her blush, bowing to the male elf."_Madar'creoso__, gisir_." She said quietly before straightening up a bit and adopting a more calmer visage."Is there anything else you require of me today?"

Smiling, he shook his head."_Nae, da'len_. You may go now. I have some things I must attend to now that you have brought me the necessary herbs for my own preparations. The rest of the day is yours. _Ma serannas _again for doing as I asked you to, _da'len_."

"_Ma nuvenin_, keeper." Marethari bowed deeply before turning to exit the _aravel_. Just as she was leaving, another elven woman, Ashalle, stopped at the entrance upon seeing Marethari. The two women exchanged small nods of acknowledgment then walked past each other in opposite directions.

"Already finished helping Ewan and Maren with the halla like I ordered you to, Ashalle?" Magnus asked over his shoulder with the slightest hint of mirth in his tone as he gave a very small smirk at the elven woman. Ashalle, being the immature and impatient _asha_ she was, rolled her eyes with a scoff then frowned grumpily and crossed her arms.

"You mean cleaning up after the pooping halla while they watched and laughed at me in front of Zephyr?" She spat with both venom and sarcasm practically spilling from her tone."Yes, I am finally finished going through that humiliating ordeal, thank you very much, _lethallin_."

Magnus chortled."Yes well, you may consider that _nan_ for sticking your nose into my personal life again." He said through his laughter, knowing full well how his childhood _falon_ felt about Zehpyr, the clan's Chief Hunter. Ashalle had been smitten with him for years and whether or not either of them cared to admit it, Magnus could tell that Zehpyr felt the same way about Ashalle.

Ashalle snorted."You don't have a personal life, _gisir_."

Sighing, Magnus turned to face her."I am a keeper, _lethallan_. My duty is to my clan and to my people. The life of a keeper is normally a very lonely one and-"

"And because of this, very few keepers ever bond with other elves or have _len_." She finished for him with a roll of her eyes. Ashalle always had a bad habit of butting into Magnus's business and more than anyone else in the clan, played matchmaker whenever she got the chance to do so. He knew she only meant well, but there were many times when this _asha_ just downright scared him or drove him insane with vexation **because** of how much she cared. Magnus sometimes found himself being torn between feeling touched by her desire for him to be happy or pulling all of his hair out while shouting and banging his head against a tree if it would just make her leave him alone already.

Besides, he'd already been intimate with other women in his slightly younger days before and after becoming keeper and learned that it was all nothing more than a physical attraction once the moment of passion itself had ended. Love just wasn't something he needed nor wanted in his life right now, or at all really. That was what he told himself all the time so he could sleep peacefully at night, at least.

"I do **not** sound **anything** like that, _lethallan_." He huffed indignantly with a slight frown on his face.

"Why, of course you don't." She cooed playfully, smirking at his very miffed glower.

Sighing, he pinched the bridge of his for a moment then looked up to scowl at her irritating smirk before pointing toward the exit of his _aravel_."Unless you want to be put on halla duty in front of Zephyr **again**, Ashalle, I suggest you leave now while you still have the chance." He narrowed his eyes as he spoke in a slightly dark tone of voice.

She rolled her eyes at him with a wry grin. It was true that she harbored a deep respect for him because of his status as keeper and the fact that he was a very good _falon_ hers since childhood, but she still found it highly amusing whenever he made the extremely rare occasion of trying to put on a tough act. Magnus rarely ever got angry and when he did, everyone knew it was best not to aggravate him further in any way, but such a thing ever occurring was just as common as flowers in the snowy winter. In other words, **this** was nothing more than simply him getting annoyed with and attempting to intimidate her into leaving by weakly affecting a false, ominous air of stern authority.

"_Daratisha__, gisir._" She said calmly, rolling her eyes again."_Ar'tu ven'sahlin ma nuvenin ar'ven_._ Dareth shiral_." That being said, she gave him a curt bow then turned and left the _aravel_ without another word or teasing remark directed toward him. _  
_

Once he was absolutely sure he was _u_, Magnus let out a long sigh."Oh, how I despise it when that _asha_ is right." He muttered under his breath.

* * *

_Elven Translations: _

_Arlathvhen (Literally: For the love of the people) Meeting of the Dalish clans that occurs every ten years._

_Mahvir - Tomorrow _

_Hahren/Hahren'en - Elder/Elders _

_Asha/Asha'en - Woman/Women_

_Len - Child/Children_

_Aravel - A wagon or tent used by the Dalish; humans call them "landships"_

_Lethallan - Friend/Kinswoman (Female)_

_Lethallin - Friend/Kinsman (Male)_

_Vallaslin - (Literally: Blood writing) The art of tattooing adopted by the Dalish to display their worship of the traditional elven pantheon. It also signifies each elf's coming into the status of adulthood among their clan._

_June - God of crafts_

_Mythal - (Literally: The great protector) Chief elven goddess; Wife of Elgar'nan; Goddess of love, protection, and motherhood. _

_Elgar'nan - (Literally: Spirit of vengeance) Chief elven god; Husband of Mythal; God of vengeance and fatherhood. _

_Aneth ara (Literally: My safe place) A sociable or friendly greeting, more commonly used among the Dalish themselves rather than with outsiders._

_Da'len - Little child; __to describe someone young, innocent, or dear._

_Ma serannas - My thanks/Thank you_

_Madar'creoso __\- You are welcome_

_Daratisha - Be at peace_

_Ar'tu ven'sahlin ma nuvenin ar'ven - I will go now as you wish me to go_

_Dareth shiral - (Literally: Safe journey) Farewell _

_Nae - No_

_U - Alone_

_Ma nuvenin - As you wish _

_Nan - Revenge/Vengeance_

_Falon - Friend_

_Gisir - Keeper _

_Name Meaning: _

_Magnus - Great_

_Next up: Chapter 1:Oaths _


	3. Chapter 1:Oaths

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

* * *

"I made an oath to myself:  
as long as I live  
as long as my soul remains in this body  
I won't deviate from the right way  
but later I looked to my left and then to my right  
and I saw our beloved everywhere  
how could I make a wrong turn?"  
— Rumi (The Rubais of Rumi: Insane with Love)

**Chapter 1:Oaths**

* * *

_Hear me, sons and daughters of the People  
I am Sister of the Moon, Mother of Hares,  
Lady of the Hunt: Andruil.  
Remember the Ways of the Hunter  
And I shall be with you._

Those exact words rang through Lara's head everyday. It was her duty as an _Elvhen_ hunter to always remember these words and the meaning behind them. If **any** hunter **ever** forgot these sacred words, then they did not deserve to call themselves Dalish, for if it was not for _Andruil_, there would be no hunters to do the hunting or animals to be pursued by the hunter. The _Elvhenan _owed their beloved goddess of the hunt much, and anyone who failed to proerly honor Her, was not only showing a complete lack of both love and respect for _Andruil_, but also showing themselves as being no better than the disgusting _shemlen_ and their worthless, flat-eared pets. **  
**

It had been several years ago, but knelt down in front of a statue of _Andruil_ now, Lara could easily remember the day she'd first become a true hunter, having brought back the pelt of a large bear who she'd killed all by herself. The entire clan had gathered around the former hunter apprentice, congratulating her on her accomplishment before quieting down and moving aside so Lara could slowly approach the keeper, who stood in silence outside of his _aravel_ with his face maintaining it's usual stoical mask as Lara carefully placed the pelt at his feet and knelt down before him with her head bowed low as a sign of deep respect for the man who was her keeper as well as the first of the _Elvhenan _to rediscover the immortality of their ancestors.

For the longest time, Zathrian remained silent, his eyes locked on both the pelt and the elven huntress kneeling before him. He cleared his throat eventually, and Lara took that as a sign that she could look up, but still hesitated to fully raise her head and allow her light blue eyes to meet Zathrian's dark, unreadable ones. She could herself querying with tremulousness under his gaze as he gave a curt nod of his head then gestured for her to follow him into the _aravel_. Lara followed him inside, lowering her eyes and biting her lip as she watched the keeper retrieving a tome from one of his chest and opening it to the first page.

After about half-a-second, he looked up at her, face still an emotionless mask, and beckoned her closer with another brief nod. She nodded back, already knowing what was in the tome by the time she came to a stop in front of him. Wordlessly, the tome was placed into the huntress's hands, showing her all of the designs that she would have to choose from for her _vallaslin_. Not even two seconds later, she looked up to give him a nod and pointed at the design that would soon grace her brow; _Ghilan'nain_.

It was obvious by the brief widening of his eyes that Zathrian was slightly surprised by this rather unexpected decision of hers. Most _Elvhen_ hunters usually wore the design of _Andruil_, the craftsmen typically had _June_, halla-keepers preferred _Ghilan'nain, _and most importantly, the keepers, including Zathrian himself, wore either _Mythal_ or _Elgar'nan_. That was just the way that a lot of the _Elvhenan _chose their _vallaslin_. There was certainly no law regarding making a decision such as this one; it was just a normal pattern of how things went in most Dalish clans that very few acted differently from.

The suprise in Zathrian's eyes vanished as quickly as it had originally appeared and he nodded slowly, gesturing for her to have a seat so they could begin the sacred, silent ritual of adulthood. Once the ritual was finally complete , Zathrian nodded and for the first time in the last few hours of silence, he smiled widely, making him look much younger. He'd then stated that it was done; Lara Tarsis was no longer a mere _da'len_ and hunter apprentice; she was now a grown woman by Dalish standards and a true _Elvhen _huntress in the eyes of her people.

Recalling everything now, Lara couldn't help but feel a bit nervous about the gathering tonight. The clan was already packing up their belongings while Elora prepared the halla to move on so they could meet with the other Dalish clans today at sunset. Lara could not stop thinking about the archery competition in which she would be the one to represent their clan. She was very confident in herself, of course, but at the same time she was also more than slightly worried about failing to do her clan proud. Even if she **was** one of the finest hunters the _Elvhenan _had to offer, it was only natural for any person to feel nervous when they felt that more than a little pressure had been put on them. _  
_

That was why she'd come to kneel down before the statue of _Andruil_, hoping that offering some sort of small prayer to her people's hunter godness might help to calm some of her nerves until it was finally time for the gathering. It seemed to help a little bit, but not that much as these thoughts still continued to plague her mind, so she shook her head vehemently to rid herself of such negative thoughts and sighed before slowly standing up and walking back towards her _aravel_ to get ready for tonight.

* * *

_We are the Dalish: keepers of the lost lore, walkers of the lonely path. We are the last of the _Elvhenan and never again shall we submit.__

As a keeper, it was Magnus's duty more than any other elf's to never forget the meaning behind those exact words, especially the part with the words 'keepers of the lost lore' included in it. He was not a ruler, seeing as the Dalish had no rulers to begin with; they followed the commands of their wise and noble keepers out of respect and love for both their people as well as what little they knew about their lost lore at the moment thanks to the _shemlen_ and their flat-eared pets ruining everything.

Magnus sighed at the thought of the _Elvhenan's _almost eternal conflict with both humans and city elves alike for so many centuries. He'd never enjoyed it whenever one of his clan members frightened or threatened a _shem_, and even more so despised it when he could not avoid a fight by simply moving on to a different campsite or settling for a temporary truce with their neighbors for at least one week of peace without constantly being at each other's throats.

It was sad that very few felt the same way as he did about the bad blood between humans and elves. He remembered back when he was still a mere _len_ who loved hearing stories about their people's history, which was especially important for him since he was First to the old keeper before him and thus, had a duty to remember as much of the _Elvhenan's_ language and history as possible.

He'd always taken that duty seriously, showing love and kindness to everyone, be they a _shem_ or an elf. There was one day when Ilana, one of the female hunters who would be representing their clan in the archery competition tonight, had excitedly come back with a few other hunters to tell or show him something, and that something horrified him beyond words. Ilana presented to him her dagger which was covered in the blood of a dead human man whose heart she had torn out herself while her two male fellow hunters bragged about how the unfortunate _shem_ had begged desperately in tears for mercy before and while they killed, claiming that he had a wife and son waiting for him back in his village, but it did nothing to touch any of their hearts in the slightest.

How could they have been so cruel and sadistic, he had shouted lividly at them. The man claimed to have a family and had done nothing wrong. He was not to blame for whatever deeds his ancestors might have or might not have committed against the _Elvhenan. _Did they not understand that they had wrongfully taken the life of an innocent man without showing even a hint of remorse? Magnus felt pity for the poor man and even prayed that the _shemlen_ Maker god would grant him _atisha_ and hoped the Creators would forgive Ilana and the other two hunters for the horrid act they had committed.

Even now, years later, it still haunted Magnus to think about the death of an innocent man who just happened to be at the wrong place, at the wrong time and received a fate he did not deserve. Would all of this pointless bloodshed ever end? He wasn't so sure if he really even **wanted** an answer to that dreadful question, so he just closed his eyes tightly, let out another sigh, and tried to meditate for a few minutes in _atisha_ before they would start moving on for the gathering tonight.

* * *

_Elven Translations:_

_Andruil - Goddess of hunt _

_June - God of crafts _

_Ghilan'nain - Mother of the halla _

_Mythal - (Literally: The great protector) Chief elven goddess; Wife of Elgar'nan; Goddess of love, protection, and motherhood. _

_Elgar'nan - (Literally: Spirit of vengeance) Chief elven god; Husband of Mythal; God of vengeance and fatherhood._

_Elvhen - (Literally: Our people) Elven name for their own race._

_Elvhenan (Literally: Place of our people/Our hearts) Original name for the elven civilization. _

_Shems/Shemlen (Literally: Quick children) Humans_

_Vallaslin - (Literally: Blood writing) The art of tattooing adopted by the Dalish to display their worship of the traditional elven pantheon. It also signifies each elf's coming into the status of adulthood among their clan._

_Da'len - Little child;_ _to describe someone young, innocent, or dear._

_Len - Child/Children _

_Aravel - A wagon or tent used by the Dalish; humans call them "landships"_

_Atisha - Peace, peaceful _

_Next up: Chapter 2:Dar'ben'din'dar (To be or not to be)_


	4. Chapter 2:Dar'ben'din'dar

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

* * *

"_To be, or not to be, that is the question." - _William Shakespeare (Hamlet)

****Chapter 2:Dar'ben'din'dar (To be or not to be)****

* * *

_"No, he is not ready! You would be fools to put him through this!" A very unpleasant and almost hoarse voice croaked out, sounding as if it belonged to a dangerous entity of some sort rather than an elf or _shemlen_. The voice was definitely far too hoarse to belong to the ever so sly Dread Wolf or any demon. Did it belong to an animal then?_

_As if hearing Magnus's thoughts, the voice shrieked loudly."I am no animal! I am Fear, not your repulsive Dread Wolf!" _

_"Silence, Fear!" Another voice snapped, clearly irritated by the first voice's unwanted comments."And the same goes for you as well, Deceit! Do I make myself clear?" _

_Two loud shrieks echoed in unison."Yes, _Dirthamen_!" _

_Magnus's eyes immediately snapped open upon hearing this, and he quickly sat up before realizing that he was lying on the ground, which was covered with grass and several lovely flowers growing all around him.__"Where am I?" He asked himself aloud as looked around in an attempt to try to understand his current location."Am...am I dreaming? Is this just a dream or a demon trying to trick me?" _

_"No, _gisir_, it is not a demon, but you are indeed dreaming." A soothing feminine spoke to him, though it did little to quell the confusion and unease boiling within him. The feminine voice seemed to understand this and chuckled lightly."_Daratisha_, we only wish to speak with you. Nothing more, nothing less." __  
_

_"Th-This is the Beyond then, isn't it?" Magnus asked quietly, slowly rising to his feet."Fear and Deceit were the ones taunting me just now, weren't there? Before _Dirthamen_ forced them to stop. You...you are the __Creators__ and you wish to speak with me? Why? What could I have possibility ever done to deserve so much as hearing a word being said to me by the benevolent Creators? I am not worthy of such an honor." _

_"That, _gisir_, is where you are wrong." A voice that sounded slightly similar to _Dirthamen's_ replied with a chortle. There was no doubt in Magnus's mind that it belonged to the former's twin brother, _Falon'Din_._

_"Yes," Another feminine voice, much more sharp but still very calm and compassionate, said in agreement,", you are perhaps the most noblest and worthiest of the _Elvhenan_ that we have ever seen in all our years of being trapped in the Beyond and watching over your people. You are more benevolent and kind than even any of us could ever hope to be, _gisir_. Do not ever doubt that."_

_"No matter how much we tell him that, _oselle_, he will never believe it." Yet another feminine voice joined in, amusement clear in her tone. Something in his mind kept on telling him she was _Andruil _while_ _the voice before hers appeared to belong to _Sylaise_. _ _  
_

_"I agree, _lethallan_," Another __equally-amused feminine said with a laugh,", I agree completely." On a hunch, he guessed it was _Ghilan'nain_. _

_"That is enough, you three." The first female voice which had originally spoke to him interjected, a warning clear in her tone. Magnus had already deduced that she was most likely _Mythal_. _

_"Yes, we are wasting time with all of this pointless praising when we **should** be delivering some important news to him." This new male voice was rather strict and brusque, as if he wanted for this conversation to end as soon as possible. Did it belong to _Elgar'nan_, perhaps? _

_The first female voice chuckled in response."Is that jealously I hear in your tone, _emma'lath_?" _Falon'Din_ and _Dirthamen_ both laughed in unison at their _mamae's_ teasing question toward their _papae_._

_"Yes _Elgar'nan_, do you dislike the idea of us praising someone else who is not you?" __Another deep male voice__ asked dryly. _

Elgar'nan_ seemed annoyed by this."Watch the way you speak to me, _June_." He warned and Magnus wondered whether or not the lead Creator's eyes were narrowed as he spoke. If so, it probably made him seem more intimidating to the others along with the obvious annoyance and impatience that his tone of voice reflected rather clearly. _

_"Oh, how I shake in my toes at your threatening words, _lethallin_!" The voice of _June_ replied with mock seriousness and a smirk obviously teasing his lips even though Magnus could not see it. _

_Magnus coughed tentatively."I do not mean to sound blunt myself, oh benevolent Creators, but I do not understand why you have brought me here when I still have a duty to my people as their keeper and protector from those who are sly like _Fen'Harel_." _

_"Such devotion and loyalty." Sylaise commented in admiration."_Ir quel_, we will not delay any longer. Let us tell you what we must and then we shall release you back to your clan where they await your return." _

_Magnus hesitated."I also am confused as to why I can hear what you say but yet I cannot see any of you." He said in a whisper._

_"Perhaps when we next speak with you, you shall see us as well as hear us." _June_ answered softly in a way that made Magnus think again of his reasons for choosing the god of crafts instead of _Elgar'nan_ or _Mythal_. It did not appear that _Mythal_ was at all bothered by this, but based on his own behavior, _Elgar'nan_ was clearly at least a little bit irritated with his decision. Then again, it seemed as if _Eglar'nan_ was irritated by literally **everything** that didn't involve him. _

_'And I thought Keeper Zathrian was a bitter old prune.' Magnus thought to himself in slight wry amusement._

_"You do realize we can hear every single one of your thoughts, do you not, _gisir_?" _Elgar'nan_ asked icily, nearly spitting the words at him. _

_"Do not act as if what he thinks is not **true**, _papae_." _Falon'Din_ retorted with a snort. _

Elgar'nan_ scoffed at his son's words."Can we **please** just tell him what we were supposed to and end this already?" He demanded impatiently. _

_"_Emma'lath_, please!" _Mythal_ was no doubt giving her mate a scolding and exasperated look as she spoke. With a sigh, she muttered something incoherent under her breath and cleared her throat before moving back to the topic at hand."_Emma ir abelas_ about my mate's behavior, _gisir_, but as I am sure you have already figured out, he is not used to keepers choosing the design of someone else besides myself or himself."_

June_ chuckled, amusement filling his tone."Yes, he is quite jealous that someone who is not at all a craftsman would choose my design, but as he very much simply refuses to acknowledge, there are **not** any rules regarding anyone's choice of _vallaslin_." _

_"_Hollen na anto, June_!" _Elgar'nan _snapped. _June_ did nothing of the sort, and very soon the two male voices were arguing with each other like cats and dogs. _

_Magnus could practically _**_hear_ **Ghilan'nain_ rolling her eyes in exasperation as she sighed loudly."Oh for the love of..." She muttered under her breath. _

_"Here we go again..." _Andruil_ sighed deeply. _

_Hearing the Creators arguing like petulant _len_ both surprised and slightly amused Magnus. He'd heard many stories of these gods growing up, but never had he or any me member of the _Elvhenan_ pictured their gods as acting so playfully and sulky toward one another. How strange it was to hear them act this way. _

_"Enough!" Mythal snapped, instantly silencing both _Elgar'nan_ and _June_. _

_"You have our sincerest apologies, _gisir_." _Sylaise_ spoke softly."This does not happen often, but it **does** still happen occasionally. Regardless, you did not deserve nor need to hear that."_

_"Agreed." _Dirthamen_ said as Fear and Deceit started making croaking sounds again though they were mostly ignored by everyone else."The reason why we have paid you this visit in your dream is that there is something of utmost importance that we must inform you of so that you will be ready once it has finally occurred." _

_Magnus nodded."Yes, please tell me what danger it is that I must be wary of."_

June_ chortled."I am not so sure that you may call what we are about to tell you dangerous. Though given our fears and doubts at the moment, I suppose it might turn out that way if we are not careful." _

_"Don't you mean if **he** is not careful?" _Elgar'nan_ retorted bitterly. _

_"Does anyone here mind if I shoot him with an arrow just to shut him up?" _Andruil_ asked dryly. _

Mythal_ gave a deep sigh."Unfortunately, _lethallan_, **I** do mind, so I am afraid you cannot shoot him down with an arrow. **Yet**." _

_"A pity." _June_ remarked wryly before turning his attention back to the task at hand."You were saying, _Dirthamen_?" _

Dirthamen_ cleared his throat."Yes of course. As I was saying before my _papae_ so **rudely** interrupted me," He paused briefly,", the _Arlathvhen_ that you are to attend tonight, let us just say that it will be a very life-changing experience for you."_

_Magnus frowned in confusion, looking up at the sky despite knowing that he could only hear the Creators speaking and not see them."I do not understand. What do you mean by this? How will this gathering of the clans be a life-changing experience for me? Please elaborate." _

Falon'Din_ sighed."Unfortunately, we cannot tell you anymore than this: _Sa'vunin, na len _will wear my brother's design as well as my own on theirs brows and they will do you proud."_

_"_Ma len_?" Magnus's head snapped up in both surprise and confusion."What do you mean _ma len_ will wear your designs? _Emma dar sa papae_?" _

_"_Ir abelas_." _Dirthamem_ said with a sigh."But we can say no more than that. _Dareth shiral, gisir_, and never forget what we have told you here, for these words will prove to be true very soon and they will stay with you until the end." _

_That was when a bright light flashed right before his eyes and everything vanished. _

* * *

_Okay, I know it's been more than a month since I last updated this and I'm SO VERY sorry about that, but life has been really hard and busy for me lately, so naturally, my updates are much slower than usual but things have slowed down a bit for me now so I should be back to updating everything on my usual schedule. For now, please remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames! _

_Elven Translation: _

_Shemlen - Humans_

_Gisir - Keeper_

_Fen'Harel (Literally: The Dread Wolf) An enigmatic trickster god of the elves, whose betrayal of both the benevolent Creators and malefic Forgotten Ones is the only explanation most elves have to explain the destruction of Arlathan. _

_Dirthamen - (Literally: Keeper Of Secrets) Twin brother of Falon'Din. Master of the two ravens Fear and Deciet._

_Falon'Din - (Literally: Friend Of The Dead) Elven god of the dead who guides the elven people's dead souls into the Beyond. Twin brother of Dirthamen._

_Mythal - (Literally: The great protector) Chief elven goddess; Wife of Elgar'nan; Goddess of love, protection, and motherhood._

_Elgar'nan - (Literally: Spirit of vengeance) Chief elven god; Husband of Mythal; God of vengeance and fatherhood. _

_Sylaise - (Literally: The hearthkeeper) Goddess who gave the elves fire, taught them how to weave rope and thread, and to use herbs and magic for healing purposes. Sister of Andruil. _

_Andruil - Goddess of hunt _

_June - God of crafts_

_Ghilan'nain - Mother of the halla _

_Daratisha - Be at peace _

_Elvhenan (Literally: Place of our people/Our hearts) Original name for the elven civilization._

_Ir quel - Very well_

_Emma'lath - My love _

_Mamae - Mother _

_Papae - Father _

_Oselle - Sister _

_Lethallan - (Female) Friend/Kinswoman _

_Lethallin - (Male) Friend/Kinsman_

_Vallaslin - (Literally: Blood writing) The art of tattooing adopted by the Dalish to display their worship of the traditional elven pantheon. It also signifies each elf's coming into the status of adulthood among their clan._

_Arlathvhen (Literally: For the love of the people) Meeting of the Dalish clans that occurs every ten years._

_Hollen na anto - Shut your mouth _

_Emma ir abelas - I'm very sorry _

_Su'vunin - A single day/One day _

_Na len - Your children _

_Ma len - My children _

_Emma dar sa papae? - I am to be a father?  
_

_Ir abelas - I'm sorry _

_Dareth shiral - Farewell_

_Next up: Chapter 3:Arlathvhen _


	5. Chapter 3:Arlathvhen

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

* * *

"Be humble for you are made of Earth,  
Be noble for you are made of stars"  
— Stellar StarElven

**Chapter 3:Arlathvhen**

* * *

_"Melava inan enansal  
ir su araval tu elvaral  
u na emma abelas  
in elgar sa vir mana  
in tu setheneran din emma na_

_lath sulevin  
lath araval ena  
arla ven tu vir mahvir  
melana 'nehn  
enasal ir sa lethalin."_

As the last few lyrics of the song were finished, Lara felt a small smile cross her lips along with a feeling of pure peace fill her soul. It was because of the fact that she'd always loved listening to that particular song that she felt this way upon hearing the familiar tune, especially amongst her friends and loved ones. A content sigh escaped the huntress's lips as she closed her eyes and straightened up a bit. **This** was what it **truly** felt like to be _Elvhen, _and anyone who thought otherwise was a complete and utter fool making inane and ridiculous assumptions on things they knew absolutely little to nothing about.

Leaning back against a nearby tree, she crossed her arms and allowed her shoulders to relax in an attempt to wash away the stress boiling within her for when the competitions between each of the clans would begin, most importantly the archery competition of course. She'd gotten in as much practice as possible over the last few weeks since the decision had been made by Keeper Zathrian for her to represent their clan. The thought of it evoked an inaudible sigh from Lara; she was honestly excited but still a great deal nervous, especially since Keeper Zathrian was a very stern leader who had extremely high expectations for everyone in his clan, but Lara knew the old man only behaved the way he did out of love and a desire to protect his people, and after hearing about how he'd lost his beloved children several years ago to _shemlen, _Lara couldn't exactly say that she really blamed him for his behavior most of the time.

Besides, Keeper Zathrian wasn't **always** cold and stern; there were quite a few moment in Lara's life when she saw him crack a smile or two and even laugh along with everyone else around the campfire while Sarel told stories of their ancestors. It was rather pleasant to see him act like that, despite how rarely it happened, it still did happen on many occasions throughout her life. Lara would be lying, however, if she claimed that there were not more than a few times when she also secretly possessed the desire to shoot her elderly keeper in the mouth with an arrow whenever he acted a little too harsh and more than just a little bit unreasonable. She shook her head and sighed deeply; her keeper was a very complicated man and sometimes it was simply for the best that she not dwell too much on the subject, lest she put any unnecessary confusion or worry on herself when she already stressed enough about the archery competition later tonight.

"So how's my favorite little huntress doing?" Lara jumped slightly in surprise at the sudden voice, but quickly recognized who the voice belonged to and resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she looked up to see the person in question standing right in front of her with an extremely annoying smile on his face that he probably thought made him look attractive when in reality, it made Lara want to gag just at the mere sight of him.

It was Errol, her fellow hunter and unwanted suitor who'd been obsessed with her for many, **many** years since he first received his _vallaslin_ of _Andruil_ almost an entire year after she received her own of _Ghilan'nain_. Errol had almost immediately began bragging about his success in also becoming a full hunter a few weeks prior, no doubt thinking for some unknown reason that this would somehow impress her. Instead, it did the exact opposite; Lara was completely disgusted and vexed by his boasting. A true _Elvhen_ hunter did not ever brag about themselves or their success. Errol, on the other hand, seemed perfectly content to disrespect everything the _Elvhenan_ stood for and behave no better than a despicable _shemlen_ or filthy flat-ear was expected to behave.

In addition to his vexatious and cocky attitude, Errol's physical appearance was even more repulsive and unpleasant to endure. Like many male rogues of the Levine Clan, he had long dark brown hair and was naturally very tall and muscular because of the fact that he was a hunter, but there was absolutely nothing attractive about him in the slightest. Rather than tie his hair up in a braid like Athras or have it in a normal enough style like Master Varathorn did, Errol's hair was always messed up and fell over his light green eyes that constantly glinted with an irritating sense of pride and ignorance which only served to make him even more unpleasant to be around for Lara. To say that she disliked the man would be an understatement; Lara completely despised him with a burning hatred and annoyance that not even her contempt for the _shemlen_ could overcome a great majority of the time.

Narrowing her eyes, Lara lifted her chin and glared coldly at Errol."Go away, Errol." She said icily, not in the mood to deal with his undesired flirtation and bragging in this moment, or in any moment actually.

Errol's smile widened, and he remained blissfully ignorant of Lara's icy tone of voice and light blue eyes narrowed into an equally icy glare which were both directed at him."Still playing hard to get?" He asked teasingly, a roar of laughter escaping from deep inside his throat when she scowled furiously at him in response. The fool simply did not know how to take a hint that she was not interested in him and leave her be, which was why he kept on stalking her like she was some sort of prey he could catch and present as a trophy for all to see. The thought of it angered Lara beyond words; she was not some kind of bloody piece of property or prize that one could win and play around with like a common _asha'alas_.

"What part of 'go away' don't you understand, _seth'lin_?" She growled at him, one eyebrow raised questioningly in vexation as she eyed the elven man as if he were no better than the dirt she walked on. Heck, even the dirt she walked on deserved more respect than this pathetic excuse for an elf!

Much to her irritation, Errol gave another sharp roar of laughter loud enough to frighten a few nearby _len_ and make them run while screaming loudly into the safety of their parents and older siblings' arms. Lara could've sworn she saw one teenage elven girl still without her _vallaslin_ shooting a glare toward Errol's back as she took her two frightened younger brothers by their hands and swiftly dragged them away from the source of their fright. Once again, Errol chose to remain blissfully ignorant of the scene behind him and Lara grit her teeth painfully as she fought not to punch him in the face and knock him out cold for the rest of the night.

"I'm going to assume you came here for another reason other than to vex me with the repulsive sound of your voice and laughter?" She asked rhetorically, her sneer making it clear that she was not expecting an answer and wanted him to leave, but the ever so ignorant Errol did not even seem to **notice** her vexation with him at all and simply continued to smile and snort to hold back more roars of laughter like an undignified pig.

"You would be correct in that assumption of yours then, _da'assan_." He replied, still smiling and completely failing to notice the way her head snapped up and eyes glinted with ire over the fact that he would **dare** to use the nickname Master Varathorn had given her when she still a mere _da'len_. Hearing it come from Errol's lips instead of the man who she regarded as something akin to an older brother made the huntress's blood boil.

"Don't call me that!' She shouted, face flushing with anger that he apparently mistook for embarrassment at first. By _Mythal_, this man was such a pain in the neck to put up with for even one damn minute! Her fists were clenched at this point and her brows knitted together into a nasty scowl. Only when she made eye contact with him did he finally seem to realize her anger over his use of the nickname that only the Levine Clan craftsman was allowed to use around her.

Errol put his hands up, the smile on his being replaced with an apologetic frown and nod of his head for but the briefest of seconds before he went back to his usual self and gave her a coquettish grin."_Abelas_, I didn't mean to upset you. The real reason why I came here was actually because-"

"Whatever it is you want from me, my answer is no." She said coldly."Now go away and leave me alone."

Errol refused to take the warning and took a step toward her, invading her personal space as well as testing her temper a great deal. The idiot had no idea whatsoever when to back the hell off, which only served to vex the female elf even more. She desperately wished he would just go away already instead of cause her unwanted stress that she could not afford right now when the archery competition was supposed to happen very soon.

Giving a low bow, Errol raised his head to give the object of his affections a wide grin that prompted Lara to her roll eyes in exasperation before he offered her his hand and flicked his head toward the center of the camp where many couples were dancing together just as the band had started playing a slow dance."I came here because I wanted to ask if you would like to dance with me."

Lara stared at him with pure disdain written across her features and shook her head at him, the words rolling off her tongue like some kind of poisoned curse threatening to burn the inside of her mouth with acid."I am not interested in dancing with you, Errol, nor will I ever, **ever** be involved in any type of relationship with you. In fact, I'd much rather bond with a terribly-ill baby halla than waste even the smallest second being **anywhere** near **you**. Now, if you don't mind, I'd really appreciate being left alone by you and allowed to prepare myself for the archery competition that is supposed to happen later on tonight in peace. _Dareth shiral_."

She then pushed off the tree she'd been leaning against, turned away from him, and coldly walked so she could get as far away from him as possible.

* * *

Magnus sighed deeply and rubbed his temples wearily as he sat down on a bench in front of his _aravel_ after he and the other clan keepers had adjourned their meeting for tonight and gone off to enjoy the rest of the evening. The dark-haired keeper was quite grateful for the chance to relax a little bit until he would have to converse with the other keepers _mahvir_ morning once again. He had a great amount of respect for his fellow keepers, but some of them were just far too frustrating sometimes for even his extremely calm, soothing, and patient demeanor to endure.

Keeper Gisharel of Ralaferin Clan, for example, was undoubtably a very polite and respectable man, but he was getting to be rather old now and sometimes seemed oblivious to everything that happened around him. Keepers Ilshae and Solan, who were part of the Amyl and Calol Clans respectively, were also two keepers who Manus got along just fine with depsite their occasional differences. There were a few other keepers with whom he had some problems with, though such things were rare and almost never occurred.

Keeper Zathrian of the Levine Clan, however, was a completely different story from the others. Not only did the old man rather rudely refuse to reveal how he was able to regain the immortality of their _Elvhenan_ ancestors, but he was also very sly, curt, arrogant, odious, and disdainful, especially toward Magnus. The two of them had never gotten along well and disliked each other intensely, but both would be lying if they claimed to not have a sort of grudging respect for one another. Magnus himself was not at all against the idea of at least trying to form a friendship with the old man because of their equal status as keepers, but knew that it was not worth wasting his nerves and energy on and so simply settled for avoiding Keeper Zathran as much as possible until the gathering was supposed to end in the next week or so.

"Are you alright?" The feeling of a hand touching his shoulder caused the dark-haired keeper to turn his head and see that Ashalle had sat down beside him just a moment ago and was staring at him with a look of slight concern on her face.

"Let me guess," She said with a sigh,"Zathrian's been driving you insane again with his arrogant, pain in the arse, attitude?"

"I'm somewhat used to it by now, _lethallan_." Magnus replied truthfully with a wry smile."It's not like I can really expect anything less from someone as proud of himself and disdainful as Keeper Zathrian."

"True." Ashalle agreed with a light laugh before her face quickly became serious again and she crossed her arms over her chest with a sigh."But that still doesn't mean he has the right to act the way he does. It makes me wonder how his clan manages to put up with him every single day of their lives."

Magnus chuckled dryly."He is their keeper, _lethallan_, meaning that they have literally grown up with him since they were born. I think it is safe to say that they are probably so used to the way he often behaves that they actually fail to even notice it most of the time."

Ashalle laughed lightly in agreement."Also true."

It had always felt good whenever Magnus spoke with Ashalle; they had grown up together and were completely inseparable as _len_, but once the two of them had gotten older and needed to begin their training in what particular job they would have in the clan, they could not spend as much time together as they once did during their childhood years.

In his own case, Magnus needed to keep up with his studies as their former and now _din_ Keeper Thalia's First while Ashalle was one of the few females who did not wish to become hunters or storytellers, and instead chose to learn the art of weaving and carving along with a few other _Elvhen_ women. That talent had actually come in handy when she helped him carve the staff which he now carried as keeper and treasured deeply. Since Magnus'd been keeper for several years now, any time they were able to spend together was even more rare though still greatly cherished.

The thought brought a small smile to Magnus's face. Some people'd thought that he and Ashalle might end up bonding with each other one day, but the two only saw one another as very good friends and siblings; nothing more, nothing less. There was also the fact that Ashalle and their clan's Chief Hunter Zephyr were both obviously attracted to one another despite the fact that both of them refused to admit it.

Magnus stifled a sigh as he remembered his _din_ mentor, Keeper Thalia. His parents were not much of an easy topic either, _mamae_ having died while giving birth to him and _papae_ dying of an illness of the lungs that he was believed to have received whilst trading in a _shemlen_ village that the clan'd camped not too far from. Naturally because he was one of the few _Elvhen_ mages born into the Sabrae Clan, Thalia'd been quick to take him under her care and begin training him to be her First. It was not a period of his life that Magnus remembered with _nehn_.

On the outside, Keeper Thalia was undeniably one of the most beautiful _Elvhen_ woman to have existed with sapphire eyes and long brown hair that flowed down to the small of her back. On the inside, however, she was considered worse than the Dread Wolf Himself by the lot of her clan. Since the beginning, Thalia was strict, blunt, impatient, and cold with her new apprentice, going as far as to strike him for making even the smallest of mistakes when casting spells or learning to read the _Elvhen_ language. She answered most of his questions with blunt responses or icy glares if not both.

The only times she'd ever actually cracked a smile was when she smirked after seeing him cry before striking him yet again and also when she ordered the hunters to murder any _shemlen_ they came across, be they men, women, children, the elderly, she simply did not care in the slightest about the loss of even her own clan sometimes. Keeper Zathrian was cruel and disdainful without a doubt toward th _shemlen_, but even Magnus'd witnessed even the old man give a shudder or two whenever dealing with Thalia during the gatherings of the clans.

Although he was too frightened at the time to say anything, Magnus disagreed with Thalia's beliefs on the _shemlen_. He did not understand why those who lived in the present should blamed and punished for the actions of those who lived in the past. It was so difficult for him to fathom, which was why after becoming keeper himself after Thalia's death, he'd taken more than a few of his fellow Dalish by surprise with his friendly and kind behavior toward any humans they stumbled upon and forbade anyone in his clan from harming any humans they came across. The Dalish were only to attack if attacked, and act only in self-defense, not out of spite.

Marethari was also among those rare mages who were born to the Sabrae Clan, being only a year or two younger than Magnus himself been when she began her own training as his First. Originally, Marethari seemed to avoid making eye contact with him and spoke only when spoken to, her voice always so soft and quiet that he sometimes had trouble hearing what she was trying to say. It wasn't too long before he realized why she acted so humble and hesitant around him; she was afraid of him treating her the same way Thalia had once treated him.

'I am **nothing** like she was.' Magnus thought firmly.

He and Marethari were in the middle of a lesson once when the poor girl made a mistake and failed miserably in performing a nature spell he had been teaching her that day. Before Magnus could so much as blink, Marethari started crying and falling to her knees while begging for forgiveness for her failure, clearly dreading whatever punishment she thought he would inflict on her for had broken his heart to see her act this way, and knowing full well just how Thalia would have reacted to him making such a mistake, Magnus refused to treat his apprentice the same terrible way that Thalia had treated him. He was better than Thalia, stronger than Thalia, and kinder than Thalia.

With a little bit of gentle encouragement, Magnus was able to soothe Marethari's fears and convince her to keep trying until she finally succeeded. He treated the girl as if she was his own daughter and he gave the exact same curtesy toward the rest of his clan and his people. It was this type of attitude that earned many friends as well as many enemies among his fellow Dalish, but Magnus was not bothered by those who scoffed at his notions of peace and friendship. People could say whatever they wished to say about him when they thought he was not listening, for he cared not of their jeers and would never change his beliefs based on the opinions of those who spat cruel words at him behind his back as he passed by or went as far as to state right to his face that he did not deserve to be called a Dalish man or a keeper.

'Let them think what they want to think.' He thought.'If they all wish to forever be blinded by hatred and violence, then so be it.'

"Judging by that half-distant, half-determined look on your face, I'm going to assume you've been so lost in thought these past five minutes and have thus not heard a single word that I just said to you." Ashalle spoke in tone of voice that feigned disinterest as she inspected her nails and the corner of her mouth quirked up slightly into the smallest of smirks while the slightest hint of mirth glinted from the corner of her eye. Her brief amusement faded, however, as quickly as it had appeared, and her face adopted more of a somber and concerned look.

"Thalia again?" She asked softly.

Magnus stifled a sigh, an almost inaudible humorless laugh escaping his lips as he nodded curtly in response. Ashalle knew him far too well. He'd tried to put the past behind him, mostly succeeding, but still always remembering those unpleasant childhood memories from his time with Thalia. Most of the bruises that her strikes had given him had mostly faded, though there were still a few that required more time to heal while others would most likely stay with him for the rest of his life.

Ashalle sighed deeply, lowering her eyes."She's gone, _lethallin_." She whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze for comfort."Gone and not coming back."

"I know." Magnus replied with a sigh as he bit his lip and lowered his head like a forlorn _da'len_. As a keeper, he could not afford to show emotion, nor to even **have** any emotions. If a clan's keeper ever showed fear, sadness, or panic, then the entire clan would feel these emotions as well and that was **not** something their people could afford to let happen. It was because of this that he learned to always put on this calm and soothing demeanor on the outside in front of others even when both his mind and soul screamed for him to release all the anguish, despair, dread, and anger he felt sometime on the inside.

Ashalle did not respond, knowing already what thoughts currently plagued his mind and understanding how he felt completely. Heck, she was literally the **only** person who fully, truly understood him and the only person who he ever could show his true self to. This woman may have been very nosy when it came to his personal affairs and often a pain in the neck to deal with, but she was still his friend, his sister, and the only person who understood and would always be there for him. He was lucky to have her as a friend.

The two simply sat there together for awhile in silence, for no words were needed, and so they stayed like that until about half-an-hour later when the competitions between all of the clans began, and they slowly stood up in unison and walked toward the soon-to-begin festivities without a single word ever being spoken between them.

* * *

_(Sighs) Okay, so it's been awhile since my last update and I apologize for the delay but in addition to having a very busy life lately I've also been playing Dragon Age Inquisition but things seem to have returned to normal for me for now so my updates should be back to their usual schedule but I make no promises. In the meantime, please remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames!_

_Elven Translations:_

__Arlathvhen (Literally: For the love of the people) Meeting of the Dalish clans that occurs every ten years. __

_Shems/Shemlen - Humans_

_Elvhen - (Literally: Our people) Elven name for their own race. _

_Elvhenan (Literally: Place of our people/Our hearts) Original name for the elven civilization. _

_Len - Child/Children _

_Seth'lin - Thin blood (heavy insult) _

_Da'assan - Little arrow; Master Varathorn's nickname for Lara _

_Da'len - Little child_

_Abelas - Sorry _

_Dareth shiral - Farewell _

__Lethallan - Friend/Kinswoman (Female)__

__Lethallin - Friend/Kinsman (Male) __

_Vallaslin - (Literally: Blood writing) The art of tattooing adopted by the Dalish to display their worship of the traditional elven pantheon. It also signifies each elf's coming into the status of adulthood among their clan. _

_Mythal - (Literally: The great protector) Chief elven goddess; Wife of Elgar'nan; Goddess of love, protection, and motherhood. _

__Andruil - Goddess of hunt __

__Ghilan'nain - Mother of the halla__

__Asha'alas (Literally: Dirty woman) Whore __

__Mamae - Mother __

__Papae - Father__

__Nehn - Joy__

_Aravel - A wagon or tent used by the Dalish; humans call them "landships" _

__Mahvir - Tomorrow __

_Din - (Literally Not/Isn't) Used to indicate someone who is dead. _

_Lyrics to Suledin (Endure) An Elvish Song:_

_Elvish:_

_Melava inan enansal  
ir su araval tu elvaral  
u na emma abelas  
in elgar sa vir mana  
in tu setheneran din emma na_

_lath sulevin  
lath araval ena  
arla ven tu vir mahvir  
melana 'nehn  
enasal ir sa lethalin_

_English:_

_Time was once a blessing  
but long journeys are made longer  
when alone within.  
Take spirit from the long ago  
but do not dwell in lands no longer yours._

_Be certain in need,  
and the path will emerge  
to a home tomorrow  
and time will again  
be the joy it once was _

_Next up: Chapter 4:Vir El'Vhenan (Way of Our Hearts)_


	6. Chapter 4:Vir El'Vhenan

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

* * *

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."  
— Steve Jobs

**Chapter 4:Vir El'Vhenan (Way Of Our Hearts)**

* * *

As they slowly came to a stop at the center of the camp, Magnus reluctantly released Ashalle's hands as she moved it away from his shoulder and lowered her eyes. Magnus's briefly flickered at his friend before he shut them tightly, took a deep breath, and signed as quietly as possible so that the other Dalish who were also now making their way toward the soon-to-begin festivities. Magnus swiftly opened his eyes, straightened his posture, and swallowed down all of his emotions as the calm yet confident mask he'd always worn in front of his clan and other Dalish made rapidly it's face back onto his face. It was time for the real Magnus Mahariel to shut down while the ever so prideful and dutiful Keeper Mahariel turned back on again.

Within minutes all of the Dalish were fully gathered, chatting amongst themselves in excitement and watching with impatiently eager eyes and expressions forfell the festivties of the night to finally begin. The _len_ were unable to stand still, struggling to get out of their parents and older siblings' protective grasp while a few others chased after one another in circle until some of the _hahren'en _yelled at them sharply to immediately calm down and behave like adults. That had helped quiet them down and it wasn't long before Keeper Zathrian started making his way to the center of the crows while gesturing for his fellow keepers to slowly do the same along with their Firsts.

Marethari quickly and quietly moved to Magnus's side and Magnus gave her a soft smile of encouragement that she responded to by nodding her head respectively and giving off an air of pride as she walked side-by-by with him to the center. Zathrian's eyes met Magnus's for a moment, glinting with the slightest hint of disdain like they always did. How very predictable of the old man. Magnus was not surprised at all, not even a little. In fact, he would have been **worried** and perhaps even a little bit **offended** if the old man didn't throw him a disdainful glare or two during the entire gathering.

Once all of the keepers and their Firsts were standing in a circle beside him, Zathrian abruptly brought up a hand to silence anymore whispers or shouts that could still be heard from his fellow Dalish, and as soon as his hand went up, all was completely and very suddenly quiet. A satisfied smile crossed the elderly keeper's lips, his head lowering in a small nod that received respectful bows from the other elves present in response. The smile vanished from his face almost as quickly as it had appeared as Zathrian took a small step back and gave a curt nod to Magnus who nodded silently back before wrapping an arm around Marethari's shoulders and replacing Zathrian in front of his fellow keepers and Dalish.

"_Aneth ara__, ma linelvhenan." _Magnus spoke evenly and politely as he adressed the crowd, having went over what he would say tonight several times in his head."_Sa nehn tu'inan ma'en_."

"_Andaran atish'an, gisir_." The rest of the gathered Dalish responded in unison, their voices mixing into one sound.

"It has been more than ten years since we of the _Elvhenan_ last came together during the last _Arlathvhen_ and much has changed in those ten years, both good changes...and bad changes, but our people endure, just as they always have. Of all the races in existence on this earth, we have endured more sorrow, more hardship, more slavery, and more pain than any other race. Our history is built on this sorrow, and rather than dwell on all of our pain and hardships as homeless wanderers for all these years, we have instead learned to embrace our sorrow and hold it close to our hearts so that when the time finally comes, that sorrow will help strengthen our resolve and ensure that one day, our people **will** once again have a homeland of our own and we shall **not** repeat the mistakes of our _Elvhenan_ ancestors from the past." Magnus paused for a moment as he cleared his throat inaudibly before raising his chin confidently and allowing a proud smile to spread across his face."I know that there are those of us who want nothing more than to simply storm in, destroy our _shemlen_ foes, free our enslaved flat-eared brethren, and reclaim the land that was once ours, but doing such a thing will not help us in any way. Instead, it will only reinforce what the _shemlen_ already think of us and prove these absurd notions that they have about our people being savage beasts to be true and that is **not** something that the _Elvhenan_ can afford. If we are to truly prove to ourselves as well as to the _shemlen_ and their flat-eared pets that we are not the savages they believe us to be, then we must not allow this burning hatred within our tormented hearts to control us. What we must do if we are to regain the lost glory of our ancestors is learn more about our foes and voyage more often into their world. Conflict, as I have learned in my many years as both a Dalish First and Keeper, is not the answer to our problems. There are no doubt those who would strongly disagree with me and instead support the phrase, 'If you want peace, go to war', but we have been at war already for so many years and all this pointless bloodshed has ever brought us is more sorrow, more hardship, and more pain. Therefore, I tell you now, my fellow Dalish, that the end has come for this sorrowful conflict to end and for peace to finally begin forming within our scarred hearts."

As he finished speaking, Magnus let out the breath he did not know he'd been holding and moved both himself and Marethari a step back to allow Zathrian to take back his original position in the front of the circle. **That** was when a quiet applause slowly began to pierce through the silence and just as abruptly as it had begun, the applause increased greatly in volume and grew much louder until nearly every elf present was cheering and clapping in awe of the speech Magnus had just given only minutes ago.

Magnus himself was in complete and utter awe as he witnessed the unexpected reaction his words had drawn from his fellow Dalish. They were all clearly impressed and agreed with him...well, **almost** all of them agreed with him. There were, of course, quite a few exceptions in the crowd, but the most obvious exception, in Magnus's opinion, was none other than the ever so haughty and unimpressed Keeper Zathrian.

'How very surprising.' Magnus thought to himself sarcastically as he resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Zathrian's almost unnoticeable scoff and instead kept the smile on his face for the crowd. He could put up with the old man's usual bitterness and sarcasm another time.

* * *

"That was quite the speech Keeper Magnus just made, wouldn't you agree, _da'assan_?" Master Varathorn commented in a whisper as the crowd started to settle down and Keeper Zathrian began speaking shortly afterwards.

Lara nodded tentatively."It doesn't seem like Keeper Zathrian approves of his ideas very much, though." She said thoughtfully, having noticed the disdainful glint in her keeper's eyes whenever he looked at Keeper Magnus."

Varathorn sighed deeply, as if this was not the first time this particular topic had been brought up before him."Our keeper has never truly thought much of Keeper Magnus and though they both undoubtedly respect one another and are very discreet most of the time, Keeper Zathrian's great dislike of Keeper Magnus is a mutual feeling shared between them both."

Lara chewed on her bottom lip. After hearing Keeper Magnus's rather moving and impressive speech, she help but feel slightly intrigued by him and his ideas about their people as well as the _shemlen_. She'd heard the name Magnus Mahriel mentioned a few times by her own keeper but it was rarely brought up in a good way. Despite having never personally met the man yet, Lara already knew full well that Keeper Zathrian was not at all fond of Keeper Magnus in the slightest, a fact that Varathorn had just cofirmed for her.

'He is rather handsome.' She thought to herself, taking note of his dark blues that glinted with kindness, calmness, and confidence all rolled into one, as well as his short black hair and clearly tall and sinewy form beneath his robes...

"I do not think a dalliance is something currently on his mind, _da'assan_." Varathorn's voice snapped her back into reality and interrupted her slightly inappropriate thoughts. A small part of her was almost as disappointed that he'd interrupted her thoughts as most of her was slso rather grateful for the interruption.

Lara lowered her head, ashamed."_Lethallin_, I-"

Varathorn cut her off with a small chuckle, his smile kind and tone filled with wry amusement."Do not explain yourself to me, _da'assan_. You are a grown _asha_ and thus fully capable of making your own decisions and experiencing your own desires. I only advise that you be careful in your future intentions regarding-"

"I was only-" He put up a hand to silence her protests.

"I know what you were doing, and while I am mostly certain that you have no plans of doing anything foolish, I just ask for you to take my advise to heart and be careful in your decisions during this very long week we have ahead of us until the gathering ends."

Lara nodded her head at him, knowing it was best not to argue with the older elf in this moment."_Ma nuvenin, lethallin_."

* * *

_Phew! It's been awhile since my last update and I sincerely apologize for the delay and also for if seemed a little too short, but I promise that the next one will be longer and hopefully posted sooner than this one was. In the meantime, please remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames!_

_Elven Translations:_

_Len - Child/Children_

_Hahren'en - Elders _

_Aneth ara__, ma linelvhenan - Greetings, my fellow Dalish_

_Sa nehn tu'inan ma'en - A joy to see you all _

_Andaran atish'an, gisir - Greetings, Keeper_

_Arlathvhen (Literally: For love of the people) Meeting of the Dalish clans that occurs every ten years._

_Elvhenan (Literally: Place of our people/Our hearts) Original name for the elven civilization._

_Shemlen - Humans_

_Da'assan - Little arrow; Master Varathorn's nickname for Lara._

_Asha - Woman _

_Ma nuvenin - As you wish _

_Lethallin - Friend/Kinsman (Male) _

_Next up: Chapter 5:At First Glance _


	7. Chapter 5:At First Glance

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

* * *

I could not tell you if I loved you the first moment I saw you, or if it was the second or third or fourth. But I remember the first moment I looked at you walking toward me and realized that somehow the rest of the world seemed to vanish when I was with you."  
― Cassandra Clare, _Clockwork Prince_

**Chapter 5:At First Glance**

* * *

'By the Creators, does he **ever** shut up?!' Was the one thought that echoed for the hundredth time through Lara's mind as she fruitlessly tried to ignore the extremely irritating sound of **Errol's **endless chitchat for the past half-hour. Shortly after the opening ceremony, Keeper Zathrian announced that the competitions would begin at exactly midnight but until then everyone would have a few free hours to do as they pleased. Not even two seconds after everyone else had dispersed, Errol had run up to her like an overly-excited _da'len_ and refused to leave her alone. Whenever she attempted to get away from him, he always somehow managed to catch up with her and remain blissfully ignorant of her obvious vexation with him.

A soft groan escaped her lips, which would have been perfectly audible to anyone except for the dolt who continued chattering on as if absolutely nothing was wrong. And as far as he was aware, everything was just dandy.'_Fenedhis_, how oblivious and stupid can he possibly get?!' A very large part of her was more than just a little tempted to take out an arrow and use him for target practice. Besides, this was **Errol** she was talking about. It wasn't like he would be at all missed, right? Heck, a majority of the Dalish might even **rejoice** over his death, **especially** Lara.

Just when all hope seemed to have vanished, Lara suddenly caught sight of Master Varathorn conversing with another craftsman who she did not recognize and was most likely from a different clan, though she could not figure out which one. But in this moment, all she cared about was getting the heck away from Errol. And so it was without hesitation that she abruptly elbowed Errol in the chest to successfully shove him away from her and then bolted in the direction of where Varathorn currently was.

All it took was one look that might as well have had 'help me!' written all over her face for the craftsman to understand what she needed from him. With a small nod and smirk of amusement, he beckoned for her to stand beside him and took a protective step that greatly resembled the appearance of an overprotective brother in front of her before Errol could reach them. The other craftsman who Varathorn had originally been speaking with raised an eyebrow at Lara's sudden appearance and the protective stance Varathorn had taken in front of her, looking both amused and perplexed though a hint of apparent realization quickly glinted in his eyes as soon as Errol came to a halt in front of them, messy hair covering his eyes, skin smelling terribly of sweat, panting like a dog from exhaustion due to his run, and the look on his face unsurprisingly ignorant as always.

Lara scowled at him and rolled her eyes in both disgust and irritation at the mere sight of him.'He literally brings the phrase "ignorance is a bliss to life".' She thought to herself as she moved further behind Varathorn for protection.

"Errol." Varathorn spoke with the slightest hint of a warning in his tone as he gave the younger elven man a look of both disapproval and disdain, his nose wrinkling slightly when his nose was assaulted by the unpleasant smell of Errol's sweat. He lifted his chin and narrowed his eyes in obvious annoyance."Leave Lara alone. She clearly does not desire your company in this moment and so it would be most wise as well as polite of you not to vex her while she is still anxious about the archery competition."

"But-" Errol's mouth instantly clamped shut at the older elf's threatening glare. He swallowed nervously, nodded, then turned around and ran off like a frightened _da'len_, but not before tossing Lara a flirtatious wink that evoked a loud groan from her which he, of course, did not notice. Well, at least he was finally gone for the time being and **that** thought alone was enough to make Lara sigh to herself in relief.

With a sigh, Varathorn turned back to other craftsman he'd been previously conversing with before Lara's arrival and nodded apologetically."_Ir__ abelas_ that you had to witness that...scene just now, Master Ilen. It was not...pleasant for myself or Lara."

The other craftsman inclined his head."No need to apologize, Master Varathorn. Based on the way you spoke with this Errol hunter I believe I would be correct to assume that this is a common occurance?" His eyes briefly flickered toward Lara as he spoke. The titian-haired huntress quickly straightened up a bit and clasped her hands together to avoid biting her nails due to her slight nervousness.

Varathorn signed deeply and smiled wryly before nodding curtly in confirmation."Aye, unfortunately some people never learn, particularly Errol." He turned back to Lara and placed a hand on her shoulder while gesturing toward her."_Da'assan_, this is Master Ilen, craftsman of the Sabrae Clan. Master Ilen, allow me to introduce Lara Tarsis. She will be representing the Levine Clan in the archery competition later on tonight."

"_Andaran atish'an, _Master Ilen." Lara said respectfully, bowing her head in greeting.

Master Ilen smiled at her, nodding."_Aneth ara, lethallan._ It is a pleasure to meet you. Master Varathorn speaks very highly of your adroitness as a hunter. I wish you and your clan luck in the festivities tonight."

"And I yours." She replied with a nod, biting her lip in hesitation before speaking again."If you do not mind, Master Ilen, I have a question I wish to ask you."

The craftsman nodded at her."Ask away, _lethallan_."

"If you are from the Sabrae Clan, does that mean that your keeper is Magnus Mahariel?"

"_Da'assan_!" Varathorn hissed through his teeth, eyes narrowing in disapproval just like they had at Errol only a few minutes earlier.

Ilen chuckled, holding up a hand to calm Varathorn."Do not worry, Master Varathorn, it was after all, only a question." He smiled at Lara."As for your question, _lethallan_, the answer is yes. Magnus Mahariel is my clan's keeper and I daresay that he is barely just a few years older than you." His smile suddenly became a smirk."Perhaps even less."

"Master Ilen!" Varathorn exclaimed, eye wide at the obvious implication in Ilen's words.

Ilen chuckled lightly."It was only a jest, _ma falon_, nothing more, nothing less." At Varathorn's slight look of disbelief, he smiled assuringly."Do not worry. Courtship is truly the **last** thing on Keeper Magnus's mind." He sighed loudly and rolled his eyes, muttering,"If it is **ever** on his mind at all, that is.",under his breath. He smiled again in reassurance."Trust me."

Varathorn sighed, nodding tentatively."_Ir quel_. I will trust your word on this."

Lara cleared her throat, grabbing their attention."I think I should go now. It was a pleasure meeting you, however, Master Ilen."

"The feeling is mutual, _lethallan_." He nodded."_Dareth shiral_."

Lara bowed her head respectfully at him before turning around and walking away, sighing as she did so."Not interested in courtship, hmm?" She murmured to herself with a shrug."Oh well, no big deal. It's not like I'm interested in that sort of thing either."

At least she thought she wasn't.

* * *

_Magnus was kneeling on the ground, panting heavily and holding his head in his hands as he tried to stop trembling uncontrollably like a frightened _da'len_. He could hear several voices echoing around him, shouting at him as well as at each other and even though he could not see who the voices belonged to, he knew they did not belong to the Creators. These voices were too loud, angry, and frightening to belong to the benevolent Creators; they were without a doubt instead the infamous enemies of the Creators who caused nothing but suffering and death._

_'The Forgotten Ones' He thought with a shudder, shutting his eyes tightly and trying desperately to block out the voices, but they only got louder and louder with each passing second, threatening to drive him insane if they did not stop soon. _

_"That is enough!" A familiar feminine voice suddenly shouted."Leave him alone, you dreadful beasts! He is not your toy!" _

_"Oh look!" One of the terryfing voices said in a raspy tone that sent chills down Magnus's spine."It's _Andruil's_ little pet."_

_"She probably came here because she wants to make sure that this fool of a keeper stays sane long enough to fufill the prophecy with **her** little slave." Another voice laughed chillingly. _

_"How very amusing." A third voice remarked dryly."_Ir quel_, little halla, we will take our leaves so you may speak with your pet's future mate, but do not think that we have any plans to leave him alone. Or her." _

_"If you dare cause terror or sorrow in him or her," The feminine voice hissed, her tone low and threatening,"_Ar tu na'din_!"_

_The third voice gasped in mock fright."Oh no, we are so scared." The voice scoffed derisively."Your threats mean nothing to us, little halla."_

_The first voice chuckled lightly."That may be true, brother, but we best not risk the wrath of _Elgar'nan_ or _Andruil_ just yet. Let us humor our dear goddess of hunt's little pet halla for now and when the time comes, we shall make our move as well." _

_"Yes," The second voice agreed,", watch yourself, Keeper Magnus. This is only the beginning." _

_With that last threat, the three unpleasant voices finally vanished and the voice of his savior soon once again reached Magnus's ears."Are you alright, _gisir_?" She asked in a soothing tone that caused most of his fear to slowly ebb away. He willed himself to relax and felt a warm hand on his shoulder followed by the feminine voice whispering comfortingly in his ear."You may open your eyes. I mean you no harm, _gisir_." _

_Magnus hesitated, but slowly did as he was told and opened his eyes. He felt the hand on his shoulder give it a small squeeze and forced himself to look up into the eyes of his savior. His eyes instantly widened as he took in the appearance of the breathtaking being who was kneeling beside him. _

_The being was a beautiful _Elvhen_ woman with long white tresses that cascaded down her shoulders and were as shiny and soft as snow. Her complexion was an almost identical match to her hair, practically glowing in the sunlight. He could not tear his gaze away from hers, finding those light green eyes that stared back at him with such peace and kindness to be completely __mesmerizing_ _beyond words. _

_Her name flew from his lips before he realized he'd said it."_Ghilan'nain_." He whispered in awe."Mother of the halla." _

_The goddess smiled warmly at him, inclining her head."Yes, _gisir_. That is me. You have not seen my face before, but you already know my voice. I am pleased to see that you remember me." _

_"One does not forget being visited by the Creators in their dreams so easily." He answered quietly, averting his eyes to the floor to avoid meeting her gaze. _

Ghilan'nain _frowned, reaching out to tilt his chin up with her fingers."You are frightented by the prophecy we have given you." It was more of statement than a question since she already knew the answer, but Magnus nodded anyway. _

_"Why me?" His words were barely spoken above a whisper."I am a keeper. The life that I lead is a very lonely one and not meant for being a father. You and the other Creators told me that this _Arlathvhen_ would be a life-changing experience for me. Is this when I am to meet this future mate of mine and other part of the prophecy?" The question was asked in such an uncharacteristically sardonic and harsh tone of voice that the goddess flinched slightly and Magnus himself could hardly believe his own behavior. But he was frusrated and perplexed, not to mention filled with dread at the sudden revelation that had just been thrown onto his shoulders without warning by his own beloved gods. The Creators owed him an explanation for last night and he was going to get one even if it killed him."_Dirth ar,Ghilan'nain, _is she, this little pet of yours as the Forgotten Ones so scornfully referred to her as, even aware of her role in your little prophecy and just as perplexed and angry as I am or is she still in the dark without a single clue as to what lies before her?" _

Ghilan'nain _sighed deeply."No, she is not yet aware of what is come." She smiled sadly at him."And in truth, neither are we."_

_"I-I cannot so what you ask of me, _Ghilan'nain." _Magnus said, lowering his head."This is not what I am meant to do. Please, find someone else to mate your follower, because I cannot and will not do this. Forgive me." _

_"You underestimate yourself, _gisir_." _Ghilan'nain _said softly."This prophecy is one of mere parts in a plan and dalliances, but one rather it is one of love and devotion. You may not believe that love is something your heart requires but we have seen the sorrow, pain, stress, and great responsibility that you have endured, from the abuse Thalia subjected upon you, to the present where you refuse to show or feel any emotion out of fear that it will destroy all that you and your people have worked so hard to create over the years. It is time that you listen to what __**you **want and need, as well as what it is you know in **your** heart is the right thing to do." _

_Magnus averted his eyes, not wanting to look at the goddess nor speak to her as he listened to what she was telling him. _Ghilan'nain _was not wrong; he'd spent such a long time worrying over the safety and health of his people that he had entirely forgotten what it felt like to think for himself instead. For all these years he had been nothing but selfless, but perhaps the time had come for him to be a little bit selfish for once and worry about himself and what **he** wanted and needed. He could not deny the fact that it was a nice thought, but shook his head in refusal. _

_"_Nae. Ar nadas suledin_." He whispered, finally looking up and locking eyes with the goddess_._"Find someone else to fufill your prophecy, because I refuse. _Emma ir abelas. _Please forgive me." He stood up and turned away from her, eyes shut tightly and fists clenched painfully at his sides._

Ghilan'nain _frowned, standing up and reaching out to him.__"_Gisir-"

_He_ _twisted around to face her, cutting off whatever she wished to say with his dark blue eyes narrowing and brows knitting into a scowl as he glared at her with pure anger, sorrow, and vexation all rolled into one."I said no! Find another who is willing to fufill your damn prophecy! This conversation is over and I will **not** discuss this with you or the other Creators ever again. _Dareth shiral_."_

_As soon as he had finished speaking, the ground beneath his feet had suddenly vanished and with a cry of surprise, Magnus fell from the Beyond and back into the world of the living._

* * *

_Please remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames! _

_Elven Translations: _

_Fenedhis - Common curse _

_Da'len - Little child;_ _to describe someone young, innocent, or dear._

_Ir abelas - I'm sorry_

_Da'assan - Little arrow; Master Varathorn's nickname for Lara._

_Andaran atish'an - (Literally: I dwell in this place, a place of peace) Enter this place in peace. A formal Elven greeting._

_Aneth ara (Literally: My safe place) A sociable or friendly greeting, more commonly used among the Dalish themselves rather than with outsiders._

_Lethallan - Friend/Kinswoman (Female) _

_Ma falon - My friend_

_Ir quel - Very well_

_Ar tu na'din - I will kill you_

_Arlathvhen (Literally: For the love of the people) Meeting of the Dalish clans that occurs every ten years._

_Gisir - Keeper_

_Elvhen - (Literally: Our people) Elven name for their own race._

_Andruil - Goddess of hunt _

_Elgar'nan - (Literally: Spirit of vengeance) Chief elven god; Husband of Mythal; God of vengeance and fatherhood._

_Ghilan'nain - Mother of the halla_

_Dirth ar - Tell me_

_Nae. Ar nadas suledin - No. I must endure _

_Emma ir abelas - I'm very sorry _

_Dareth shiral - Farewell_

_Next up: Chapter 6:Vir Assan (Way of the arrow) _


	8. Chapter 6:Vir Bor'Assan

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

* * *

_"_Beauty's Curse

Her bow is drawn to worlds of dark,  
where arrows spring and miss their mark—  
she'll turn their heads but not their hearts."  
— Lang Leav (Love &amp; Misadventure)

**Chapter 6:Vir Bor'Assan (Way of the Bow) **

* * *

A string of curses in elvish escaped from Magnus' lips as he awoke from his brief nap and was not at all pleased by the dream he'd just had about the Forgotten Ones taunting him and then _Ghilan'nain_ trying to unsuccessfully persuade him into agreeing to participate in this insane prophecy of the gods. He grimaced at the memory, holding his head in his hands and looking down at his knees. There was still time left until the festivities would begin at midnight which gave him some more time to rest until then but he knew he would not be able to find any peace or rest anytime soon. It had always been difficult for him, having to keep up this calm, confident, and strong face while enduring such a great deal of stress and sorrow inside, but these dreams about the gods made everything even worse.

Sometimes it just felt as if the whole world was using him for a punching bag and scapegoat, though he supposed he should not have been surprised. This was the price for followers of _Sylaise's Vir Atish'an; _keepers, healers, menders, and all other _Elvhen_ beings with the gift of magic. Never once in his entire life did Magnus Mahariel ever regret the path he had been set on since birth, but he would be lying if he said that he did not ever wish for something different. The prophecy from the Creators had sounded so tempting and promising to him, but to accept such a thing would have been utterly selfish of him to do. For a keeper, the welfare, safety, and needs of his or her clan always came first and the keeper's desires and happiness always came last, **if** such things were ever brought up at all, that is.

With a weary sigh, he rubbed his hands over his face, unconsciously stroking the _vallaslin_ design of _June_ as he did so. Getting those markings was one of the very few difficult yet still good days in his life, especially when he saw the look of obvious surprise mixed with poorly-hidden anger on Thalia's _Sylaise_ marked face when he told her what design he wanted. She'd stared at him for what felt like eternity at first before a sardonic smirk appeared on her face and she then instructed him in sickly sweet tone of voice to sit down and prepare for the ritual. Magnus always found it cruelly ironic how such a hateful, sadistic, and barbaric being like Thalia would dare to choose the design of peaceful, kind, and gentle _Sylaise, _but then again, he had also been rather taken aback when Ashalle decided to choose the design of _Elgar'nan_. Irony just seemed to be a constant factor within the history of the _Elvhenan_ and so Magnus simply learned to accept that.

Magnus already knew that the ritual would be very painful but he also knew that the keeper was supposed to use some of their magic to keep the pain of receiving the _vallaslin_ severe while also making it somewhat bearable for the one who was receiving it. Thalia had done no such thing for her apprentice, a sadistic smile teasing her lips as she instead used her magic to inestify his agony and try to make him cry out or just let out even a small whimper. Her attempts had failed, for Magnus had endured and walked out of the keeper's _aravel_ about an hour later with proud smile on his face as he allowed the rest of the clan to see the marks of _June_ which he now wore with great pride and joy.

It was only about two years later that Thalia had suddenly fallen ill. She was not that old but she was not exactly young either so no one in the clan was at all surprised by this sudden illness of hers. Having been a mere week away from turning eighteen summers, Magnus stayed with Thalia to take care of her in her unhealthy state whilst looking out for the clan as well when she had suddenly started laughing quietly to herself as if he had said or done something amusing. Magnus remembered hesitating for only a second before asking with a frown what she was laughing at.

_"You." She replied, lips slowly twisting into a wan yet still chilling smile as her sapphire eyes glinted with pure malice and disdain."I have spent years trying to make you strong but no matter what you will always be a weakling. You are too gentle and foolish to ever be of any true worth among any of our people." _

_Magnus narrowed his eyes at his mentor."I am not a weakling." He stated firmly, knowing full well that this was the first time in his life that he had ever stood up for himself against Thalia's treatment toward him. _

_The ailing woman laughed again."Please," She said sarcastically with a roll of her eyes,"All you ever do to cry, whimper, and disappoint me in every possible way as my First. You are pathetic, _da'len, _and_ _shall never bring our people anything except for disgrace." _

_Magnus lifted his chin, showing no fear as his dark blue eyes met Thalia's sapphire ones."The only one here who has ever brought disgrace to our people is **you**, _gisir_. You have made it abundantly clear from the start that you consider me no better than the dirt you walk on but just so you know," He paused briefly before chuckling humorously then leaning in closer to her as he continued,", I have always considered you nothing more than a complete and utter cruel, sadistic, and heartless **bitch**__." _

_Momentarily shocked by his words, Thalia soon snarled at him and spat right in his eye, glaring daggers at him as rage and agony consumed her entire body and she started coughing heavily and desperately gasping for air. Her lungs had become extremely weak since her illness and things were only getting much worse for the ailing female elf. Magnus couldn't help but feel a small pang of pity for his mentor because despite all of the terrible things Thalia'd done to him with striking him, insulting him, and now mocking him on her own deathbed, he bore her no ill will at all. He was not like her; he was kind, merciful, and selfless, and would never stoop to Thalia's level of cruelty and hatred. _

_"_Dirthara ma, len'alas lath'din_." She sneered at him, cold ire clear in her tone. _

_Magnus smiled slightly, though there was no joy in his smile, but nor was there any anger in it either."_Emma'tel'len'alas lath'din_." He spoke calmly, refusing to break eye contact with Thalia."And thanks to you, _gisir_, I have learned." _

_"Learned what?" She demanded with a loud, humorless laugh."How to be weak and pathetic?" She asked rhetorically, but Magnus shook his head ever so slowly in response._

_"I have learned to not be anything like you, keeper." He answered in an unwavering tone of voice."I will **never** treat my own First or clan like you have treated me for all of these years. Nor will I ever savagely slaughter the first _shemlen_ or flat-ear in sight like you have always done. I will be a true follower of _Sylaise's Vir Atish'an_ and work for peace between our people and the _shemlen_." Magnus never once even flinched or showed any fear as he moved briefly away from Thalia's side to get another cold wet rag before moving back to her weak and sick form to place the rag on her forehead so it could help keep her temperature down. None of the two seemed to notice as Ashalle entered the _aravel_ and quickly stopped in her tracks by the doorway as she silently observed the grim conversation between mentor and apprentice. _

_Thalia remained silent for a few minutes after that, her eyes studying her apprentice skeptically as if she did not truly recognize him. Eventually, a soft chuckle of both derision and mirth escaped her lips."Perhaps you are not as weak as I have thought after all, _da'len_." _

_Magnus' visage showed no emotion as he looked down at Thalia without hesitation."You can't hurt me anymore." He said calmly."You are too weak and unwell to ever raise a single hand at me or anyone else ever again. It would appear as though as _Falon'din_ is finally calling you to His side in the Beyond, _gisir_." _

_Thalia snorted incredulously, clearly unamused and unimpressed."You and I both know I've done too many despicable things in my life for _Falon'din_ to ever welcome me into His embrace. The Dread Wolf Himself most likely even considers me a heartless monster." _

_Magnus inclined his head."You don't sound very fearful or regretful about that, keeper." _

_She scoffed."Only worthless fools like the _shemlen_ and flat-ears show fear or regret. The Dalish endure, us keepers more than most." She coughed again, snorting loudly as Magnus lifted her head up and slightly moved the pillow upwards to make her more comfortable. It was obvious to him that she would not survive the night. Thalia grabbed hold of his wrist, locking eyes with him."Listen to me, _da'len_. I'm going to tell you something very important and I need you to always remember my words. Understand?"_

_Blinking, Magnus placed his hand on top of hers with a curt nod."What is it, keeper?"_

"That_ stoical demeanor that you're using with me right now?" She nodded her head at him in something suspiciously resembling approval."Use that. Never, **ever**, let anyone see past that confident, emotionless mask of yours and always put yourself last. No matter what, I want you to keep that mask on and keep everyone convinced that you are just this strong, proud, and unbreakable leader. If you ever show anyone what's beneath that mask of yours then you are making yourself weak and putting the entire clan at risk." She broke out into a violent coughing fit, but did not stop talking."Love only your clan and protect them as your family but do not ever give in the weakness of loving_ another_ romantically. If you ever develop any feelings of interest or desire for another person, then remember that it is only lust. Never show your clan the weaker side of you. Make them all think that you're this perfect leader and most importantly, _da'len_," She closed her eyes for a minute and took deep breath then opened them to look up at him,", don't end up like me. The things I have done in my life are inexcusable but I regret nothing nor do I fear facing the consequences of my actions." _

_"_Lethallin_..." Ashalle said softly, finally making her presence known to them. _

_Magnus glanced at her over his shoulder, eyes narrowing as he realized that she had heard everything. Thalia turned her head weakly to the side, staring at Ashalle in a way that made the other woman a little uncomfortable. The dying elf looked back up at her former First, an unreadable expression on her face as her eyes slowly rolled back and her head fell limply to the side. Magnus let go of his mentor's lifeless hand, allowing it to fall and lightly brush against the floor. _

_The now new keeper of the Sabrae Clan shut his eyes for a moment before eventually opening them and turning to Ashalle, his face an unreadable mask."Inform the rest of the clan of her demise. They need to know about this too." _

The memory was difficult for Magnus to relive, but he had to endure, even at the cost of his own happiness and desires.

'_Halam'shivanas_' He thought to himself sadly.

* * *

The halla let out a small sound of approval as Lara gently ran a hand through it's soft, white fur, and leaned further into her touch. Lara smiled widely at the beautiful white deer, her other hand unconsciously coming up to touch the _vallaslin_ on her face that was dedicated to _Ghilan'nain_, Mother of the Halla, Favored of _Andruil_ and formerly one of the People.

_Ghilan'nain_ is said to have been one of the most beautiful,wisest, and noble _elvhen_ women to have ever lived with snowy white white hair and was as graceful as a gazelle. For her entire life, _Ghilan'nain_ had always been devoted to _Andruil_ and honored _Vir Tanadahl. _She and her sisters were all priestesses and huntresses for _Andruil_ but above all others the goddess of hunt always loved and favored _Ghilan'nain_ the most. Seeing how much her favorite huntress loved nature, _Andruil_ blessed _Ghilan'nain_ with the power to create any animal she wanted and do what she pleased with her creations.

But this gift came with a price, for _Ghilan'nain_ soon realized that her new powers were not easy to control and she was forced to destroy most of her beloved creations in order to protect herself as well as the People and the Creators. Desperate to understand how to find a way to fully control her powers, _Ghilan'nain_ decided to visit one of _Dirthamen's_, the god of knowledge and secrets, temples where she stayed for a time, medidating and praying to _Dirthamen_ to grant her the knowledge of how to control her powers and tame her creations.

She left a few days later and began journeying back home when she stumbled upon a sight that left her utterly aghast: on the ground in front of _Ghilan'nain_ lay a dead hawk with an arrow in it's heart and over the dead hawk stood a hunter, who had known that the hawk was sacred to _Andruil_ and still had the gall to shoot it down. Enraged by this sacrilege, _Ghilan'nain_ demanded that the hunter offer a sacrifice to _Andruil_ to repent from his sin but he stubbornly refused. And so _Ghilan'nain_ called out for _Andruil_ to curse the hunter so that he may never hunt or kill anyone or anything ever again. The curse worked and the hunter became a laughing stock among his friends and family, who saw no use for a hunter who could not hunt. This caused the hunter to swear vengeance on _Ghilan'nain_ and when he finally spotted _Ghilan'nain_ hunting with her sisters he got his chance for revenge.

The hunter approached _Ghilan'nain_, falsely claiming to have learned his lesson and begging for her to help him make a proper offering to _Andruil_ to show regret for his killing of Her sacred hawk. _Ghilan'nain_ was moved by his plea and walked right into his trap. Once alone, the hunter turned on _Ghilan'nain, _attacking, binding, torturing, and blinding her like she was simply another one of his prey, but the curse prevented him from killing her and so he left her to die alone in the forest, feeling very smug and pleased with himself for exacting his revenge on her for what she had done to him.

Alone, injured, and afraid, _Ghilan'nain_ prayed to the gods for help. She prayed to _Elgar'nan_ for vengeance, begged for _Mythal_ to protect her, but she prayed the hardest to _Andruil_, who was the first to hear her faithful daughter's cry for help and sent her hares to chew through the ropes that bound _Ghilan'nain_. But _Ghilan'nain_ was still blind and badly wounded and so _Andruil_ turned her into a beautiful white deer; the first halla. It was then that _Ghilan'nain_ was able to reunite with her sisters and led them back to the treacherous hunter, who _Mythal_ ensured was brought to justice and punished severely for his sins.

As her powers grew following the incident with the hunter, _Ghilan'nain_ kept herself apart from the people and created animals that none had ever seen before, both beautiful and terrifying. She loved the halla that _Andruil_ gave her the ability to turn into the most for their peaceful nature and clever minds and spent most of her time with them, but the many monsters that she had created roamed the land and skies, acting as a deadly threat to the People. _Andruil_ hunted these beasts down but more of them always returned and not even she could hunt them all down fast enough.

An entire year of killing passed until _Andruil_ finally approached _Ghilan'nain_ with an offer that _Ghilan'nain_ could not refuse; the gods would share their power with _Ghilan'nain_, but only if she destroyed her creations, for they were too untamed to remain among the People. _Ghilan'nain_ agreed and asked for three days to undo what she had made.

On the first day she struck down the monsters of the air, except those she presented to _Andruil_ as a gift. On the second day she drowned the giants of the sea, except those in deep waters, for they were too well-wrought, and Pride stopped her hand. On the third day she killed the beasts of the land, except the halla, whose grace she loved above all else and saw as her equals. This is how _Ghilan'nain_ was made youngest of the gods.

Lara had always loved hearing the story of _Ghilan'nain _ever since she was just a mere _da'len. _She may have been a huntress and naturally had a very deep love and respect for _Andruil_, but she'd felt a unique kind of kinship with _Ghilan'nain_ than she'd had with any of the other gods. Perhaps it was because of the fact that _Ghilan'nain_ had initially been one of the People before she ascended into godhood alongside the other Creators, but Lara's admiration of the halla-mother ran deeper than with any other deity. It was a bit of an unorthodox choice of _vallaslin_ for a huntress yet one could not forget that according to _elvhen_ legend before she became a goddess, _Ghilan'nain_ had been a huntress and priestess of _Andruil_, so by choosing the _vallaslin_ of _Ghilan'nain _while still being a huntress one could technically say that she was honoring both the halla-mother and the goddess of hunt with those two particular decisions of hers.

Letting out a sigh, Lara knelt down in front of the halla and wrapped her arms around it's neck, causing the animal to nuzzle lightly against her as she ran her fingers through the halla's intricately-carved horn that she had assisted Elora in doing years ago. This particular halla was her favorite one, which she named _D__a'enansal, _and the halla favored her just as much as she did it.

A contented sigh escaped Lara's lips as she released the halla from her grip then proceded to guide it back into the stables, making sure that the gate was completely locked behind her so that none of the halla could get out. She gave _D__a'enansal _a small pat on the head before turning around and heading back toward the _Arlathvhen_ celebrations.

* * *

_For those of you who have played Inquisition already, I'm sure you've niticed that I took both versions of the legend of Ghilan'nain and mixed them both together as best as I could it would still make sense and sound good enough. Hopefully this chapter was worth the wait and I do apologize greatly for the delay but life has been very busy for me lately and so my updates are very slow as a result of that but I still hope that you all enjoyed this chapter. In the meantime, please remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames!_

_Elven Translations:_

_Da'len - Little child; __to describe someone young, innocent, or dear._

_Dirthara ma, len'alas lath'din - May you learn, dirty child no one loves _

_Emma'tel'len'alas lath'din - I am not a dirty child no one loves _

_Aravel - A wagon or tent used by the Dalish; humans call them "landships"_

_Elvhen - (Literally: Our people) __Elven name for their own race._

_Lethallin - Friend/Kinsman (Male)_

_Halam'shivanas - The sweet sacrifice of duty_

_Shems/Shemlen (Literally: Quick children) Humans_

_Vallaslin - (Literally: Blood writing) The art of tattooing adopted by the Dalish to display their worship of the traditional elven pantheon. It also signifies each elf's coming into the status of adulthood among their clan._

_Elgar'nan - (Literally: Spirit of vengeance) Chief elven god; Husband of Mythal; God of vengeance and fatherhood._

_Sylaise - (Literally: The hearthkeeper) Goddess who gave the elves fire, taught them how to weave rope and thread, and to use herbs and magic for healing purposes. Sister of Andruil._

_June - God of crafts _

_Ghilan'nain - Mother of the halla _

_Andruil - Goddess of hunt_

_Dirthamen - (Literally: Keeper Of Secrets) Twin brother of Falon'Din. Master of the two ravens Fear and Deceit._

_Vir Atish'an - Way of the peaceful place _

_Vir_ _Tanadahl - Way of three trees_

_Arlathvhen (Literally: For the love of the people) Meeting of the Dalish clans that occurs every ten years._

_Gisir - Keeper_

_Next up: Chapter 7:Vir Bor'assan (Way of the bow) _


	9. Chapter 7:Vir Assan

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

* * *

"With good reason, love's messengers, Eros and Kama, are armed with bows and long-distance arrows. No being, god or mortal, can choose love. Love comes despite ourselves; and then, if we have not already done so, we have the task of becoming our selves so we may welcome love."  
― Diane Wolkstein, _First Love Stories: From Isis and Osiris to Tristan and Iseult_

**Chapter 7:Vir Assan (Way of the arrow)**

* * *

Lara muttered a prayer to _Andruil _and_ Ghilan'nain_ for guidance as she hurriedly made her way toward the center of camp for the beginning of the archery competition in just a few minutes. She held her bow tightly in her hands to ensure that she didn't drop it, her feet moving as quickly as possible to her destination. A string of Elvish curses escaped her lips as she berated herself for having almost forgotten about how much time she had left until now.

The titian-haired elf dashed through the crowd, ignoring the occasionally offended remarks and glares coming from a few elves who she bumped into or ran past on her way to the festivities. She sighed in relief when she finally reached the center of the camp where several other participants for the competition were alreadly lining up as well while the keepers were once again starting to gather up and converse among themselves in inaudible whispers. She tilted her head curiously to see if she could get a better chance of seeing or hearing anything from her current location, and her light blue eyes widened slightly when she spotted a familiar face within the group.

Standing between Keepers Zathrian and Gisharel was none other than Keeper Magnus Mahariel of the Sabrae Clan, his dark blue eyes narrowing as he listened to Zathrian say something that he obviously did not wish to hear, though he hid his irritation well in Lara's opinion. Everything about the man fascinated her; from his calmly confident and polite visage, his ideas for their people, to the _vallaslin_ of _June_ on his face.

His _vallaslin_ was the thing that especially intrigued her. Most keepers wore the _vallaslin_ of either _Elgar'nan_ or _Mythal_, and sometimes for _Sylaise_ or _Dirthamen_ perhaps, but for a keeper to wear the _vallaslin_ of _June_ was very much surprising and unusual to say the least. Her decision to wear the design of _Ghilan'nain_ may have been a bit of a shock too, but despite being the Halla-Mother now, _Ghilan'nain_ had still been a favored huntress and priestess of _Andruil_ before she ascended into godhood, which made Lara's choice of _vallaslin_ less strange to others than that of Keeper Magnus's. It was truly none of her business as she repeatedly told herself, but she still couldn't help but feel rather curious about him nonetheless. He was a very fascinating man after all.

Master Varothorn's words from earlier echoed in her ears as she contemplated whether or not she should take them to heart or simply ignore them. Never before in her life had Lara ever ignored Varathorn's advice, for even if she didn't like it, she still listened to him and did as he advised her to. But this time was different. As much as Lara valued his support, comfort, and friendship, she wondered if perhaps Varothorn was actually wrong for once.

Guilt filled her mind at such a disrespectful thought to the man who had practically raised her since her parents died when she was still a _da'len_. She remembered how her father had been killed in a hunting accident and how her mother had died from a strange illness only months prior to that. Varothorn had taken her in and taught her most of what she knew about fighting, hunting, and crafting. If not for him, she would not be the strong and proud woman that she was today.

Lara lowered her eyes as she recalled the stories her father had told her of how her grandmother had originally been an orphan and a slave in Tevinter until she managed to escape by finding a way to sneak herself into a cargo ship at only thirteen summers and how some hunters from the Levine Clan had found her alone in the forest where they took her back with them to the clan and raised her like she was one of their own. Years later, her grandmother fell in love with a fellow hunter with whom she eventually bonded and had Lara's father.

Both of her grandparents passed away before Lara had the chance to meet them, but her father made sure she knew as much about them as possible, including how to speak Tevene. The language had been passed onto her father from her grandmother and even though they were not in Tevinter, Keeper Zathrian believed that knowing another language might be a good thing just in case they ever needed it, so Lara's grandmother, father, and Lara herself made sure to teach the rest of the clan the language. Since Keeper Zathrian learned how to speak fluent Tevene quicker than anyone else, he was the one who usually taught the children how to speak it, which saved Lara the trouble of doing it herself.

Serving as a faithful huntress to both _Andruil_ and _Ghilan'nain_ was something she had always been proud of. She loved the thrill of the hunt and helping Elora take care of the halla as much as she did hearing all the stories of the Creators and speaking the beautiful _Elvhen_ language. There was nothing better than loyally serving her clan and being a true elf, unlike most of those flat-eared scum who **willingly** betrayed everything their people stood for and were no better than their worthless _shemlen_ masters. The mere thought of them disgusted her beyond words.

The sound of a sudden clap snapped her back into reality and drew all attention to Keeper Zathrian as he stood in front of the other keepers, a sly, confident smile on his face that Lara could've sworn caused Keeper Magnus to roll his eyes discreetly in annoyance, the sight of it bringing a tiny smile to her own lips for a very brief second before it quickly vanished and her expression became serious again. She took a deep breath, readying herself for what was about to happen very soon, and nodded slowly, trying her best to remain positive and sure of herself.

"_Aneth ara_ to you all." Keeper Zathrian said a with politely jovial smile on his face."As you all already know, in just a few minutes we shall begin with the festivities, starting with the archery competition." His eyes flickered meaningfully to Lara, and his lips twitched slightly as he paused for just a moment before continuing."I wish everyone luck tonight. May both _Andruil_ and _Ghilan'nain_ help guide our hunters' arrows and help them to remember _Vir Assan_, way of the arrow."

Clearing his throat, Keeper Magnus stepped forward and took his place beside Keeper Zathrian with an equally polite and jovial smile on his face which was directed more at the crowd than at Keeper Zathrian."Let the games begin!" He declared with a wave of his hand as cheering and applause came from the crowd and the rest of the keepers.

Try as she might, Lara could not bring herself to stop staring at the dark-haired keeper in fascination. There was something about those dark blue eyes of his that intrigued her insofar that she found it impossible not to get lost in them as she tried to discover what secrets could possibly be hidden within them. She knew she was definitely not the only woman ogling him tonight, given how handsome and intriguing he was to both the eyes and mind. But either because he did not notice or simply ignored the lustful looks and comments directed at him, Keeper Magnus never once reacted at all to any of these amorous gestures or remarks.

It was while Lara was pondering all of these things about Keeper Magnus that she realized his eyes had suddenly landed and locked on her. Startled, she froze in place, unable to break eye contact with him as they stared deeply into one another's eyes for what felt like centuries until a hand abruptly tapped Keeper Magnus on the shoulder and he turned around, breaking eye contact with Lara in the process, to see a blonde elven woman smiling widely at him.

Lara felt as if a stack of bricks had been dropped on top of her entire body as she watched the two elves converse amiably. They were obviously close given how brightly they smiled and laughed with each other as they spoke, and there was no denying that the blonde elf was very beautiful, with her dark brown eyes that glinted with mischief and her long blonde hair that she had neatly tied up in a chignon with a few strands sticking out and bangs resting on her forehead.

But all interest and dejection that she felt while watching the two elves talking with each other was forgotten when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder and she turned to meet the extremely stern yet still perfectly polite and amiable eyes of Keeper Zathrian as he stood before her with his hands neatly folded against his waist.

The old keeper raised an eyebrow when he noticed her slight distress."Are you feeling alright, _da'len_?" He inquired, voice laced with both concern and suspicion rolled into one."You seem...anxious."

Lara nodded quickly."I'm alright, keeper. I'm just a little nervous for the archery competition, that's all." She replied, remembering what Varathorn had told her about the rivalry between Keepers Magnus and Zathrian and knowing better than to provoke her keeper by mentioning his rival's name.

Zathrian inclined his head, looking skeptical for a minute before giving her a warm smile and pat on the shoulder."You will do fine, _da'len_. Merely remember your training and trust in both _Andruil_ and _Ghilan'nain_ and you will have nothing to worry about."

Lara nodded again in response as Zathrian wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her toward where the other keepers were also guiding their own archers for the archery competition to begin. Glancing over her shoulder, Lara spotter Keeper Magnus guiding a female brunette elf while whispering inaudible words of encouragement to her. Lara herself could barely hear Keeper Zathrian doing the same thing to her as they walked together and bowed respectfully at each pair of elves that they passed by.

As they took their place in the line of gathered elves, Keeper Magnus and his own clan's archer, a young woman who she overhead him call Ilana, walked right past them and paused, locking eyes with Lara and Keeper Zathrian. Ilana nodded at Lara, a polite gesture that silently wished the titian-haired elf good luck, which she returned without hesitation. Keeper Magnus inclined his head at Keeper Zathrian and extended his hand for the older man to shake, something that Zathrian did swiftly but pulled back less than a minute later as if his hand was on fire.

"May the best clan win." Keeper Magnus murmured so that only Zathrian and Lara could hear him. Ilana herself said nothing, and it looked to Lara as though she was silently praying to the gods for help in winning the archery competition in just a few minutes.

Zathrian scoffed contemptuously and lifted his chin arrogantly at the younger man."I-We intend to." He murmured back to him.

While Keeper Magnus seemed perfectly content to ignore the older man's scornful remark, Ilana glowered in annoyance at Zathrian but stopped when Keeper Magnus tapped her lightly on the shoulder and whispered something into her ear. She nodded and shot Keeper Zathrian one last irritated glance before turning her attention back to the center where the first archer from the Lavellan Clan was slowly making his way toward the targets while his keeper stood behind him and said nothing lest he risk breaking the younger man's concentration.

Lara watched the Lavellan Clan's archer take in a deep breath to calm himself as silence settled within the camp and he slowly nocked two arrows, his eyes closing briefly before snapping open as he released the arrows. The two arrows both flew straight and did not waver, but did not reach the center of the target; the first arrow impaling itself only two inches from the center while the second arrow hit the very bottom of the target.

The Lavellan archer muttered a disgruntled curse under his breath as his keeper placed a hand on his shoulder and the audience applauded respectfully. The archer bowed in gratitude and walked away with his keeper beside him as Keeper Gisharel stepped forward with his own archer and exchanged bows with the Lavellan Clan's keeper and archer. Each clan and it's representative took their turns in the competition, but none of the archers were able to get both of their arrows into the center of the target so far.

Finally, it was Lara's turn. The titian-haired elf let out a deep breath as she allowed Keeper Zathrian to guide her toward the targets and felt him give her shoulder a small squeeze of encouragement before he stepped back and nodded at her. She nodded back, slowly reaching into her quiver and taking out two arrows. She straightened her posture, lifted her chin, and nocked both of her arrows, shutting her eyes as she released her arrows.

Lara's snapped open when she heard her arrows and make impact and frowned upon seeing that although one hit the center, the other one had missed by only two inches. She heard Keeper Zathrian inhale sharply behind her as he gasped her shoulder and guided her back in line so Keeper Magnus and Ilana could take their turn since they were the last ones up.

Keeper Magnus murmured something to Ilana before stepping back and gesturing for to take her shot. Ilana bowed deeply at her keeper, then turned to the targets with two arrows already nocked and ready to shoot. Silence settled over the crowd as everyone knew that this shot was the final one; if Ilana managed to shoot both of her arrows into the center, then she would win the archery competition.

Ilana took a step back, nocking two arrows and holding her breath as she inwardly counted to three before releasing her arrows. The crowd gasped in unison, Lara's own eyes widening when she saw that Ilana's arrows had impaled the target the exact same way that Lara's own arrows had as well. It was a temporary tie, for now.

"It appears we have a tie." Keeper Gisharel stated calmly, his voice and face betraying no emotion though a strange glint of what looked like worry mixed with annoyance briefly passed over his eyes. It almost seemed as if he had actually expected something like this to happen, but the old keeper was even better at hiding his emotions than Keepers Magnus and Zathrian were, making it impossible for anyone to figure out what he was thinking.

"Indeed." Keeper Magnus replied, his face an emotionless mask as always. The dark-haired keeper folded his hands in front of his waist and glanced at Zathrian."Perhaps it would be best if we left it at that-"

"That would be rather unorthodox, would it not?" Zathrian asked, his smile cordial and his tone as cold as ice as he discreetly spat out the other man's name through gritted teeth."**Mahariel**."

Magnus smiled in response, careful to ensure that no one noticed the hateful glint in his eyes. Everyone except for Lara, Zathrian, and his pretty blonde female friend, that was. He glanced at Gisharel with a raised eyebrow, posing the man a silent question as to what they should do now.

"I believe Keeper Zathrian is correct." Gisharel said with a nod."Let us have a tiebreaker then, to settle this and declare a true winner."

Keeper Magnus nodded curtly."As you say, Keeper Gisharel." His eyes flickered toward Zathrian and Lara."By all means, do go first, **old** **man**." He whispered the last two words so that only Zathrian and Lara could hear him.

Keeper Zathrian's eyes narrowed briefly as he nodded, the tension so thick that it could be cut with a knife. Lara swallowed nervously; Master Varathorn had clearly not been exaggerating when he said that Keepers Zathrian and Magnus were fierce rivals. The huntress had a feeling that things would get ugly very soon. She glanced at Varathorn in the crowd, and saw him frown worriedly as he shifted slightly from where he stood and nodded curtly as if he was silently confirming her thoughts.

Lara lightly nudged Zathrian with her elbow, causing him to look back at her for a moment before he turned back to Keepers Magnus and Gisharel with a nod that was returned by both of them although Lara felt a bit uncomfortable when she noticed that Keeper Magnus was studying her as if he was as much intrigued by her as she was by him. She averted her eyes, not wanting to meet his thoughtful gaze which left her about a minute later.

It was not until she knew for sure that he was no longer staring at her that she hesitantly lifted her chin and began to study him while he was distracted by Keeper Gisharel approaching him and beginning to converse with him in inaudible whispers. Lara gave a curious tilt of her head as she took advantage of his currently distracted state to study him the same way he had her only minutes ago.

Just who was Magnus Mahariel? And what secrets did he hide behind those dark blue eyes of his? Lara was determined to find out.

* * *

Magnus stifled a sigh and narrowed his eyes in irritation as he listened to Keeper Zathrian reprimand him for the third time that night since the gathering had started only hours ago. From the corner of his eye, he could see three different groups of elven women from three different clans ogling him while they giggled and whispered to each other in Elvish. And he knew for sure that Keeper Gisharel's First, Elindra, was among those women.

It was true that Magnus was already used to being leered at and flirted with by random women who he met during the gatherings, but Elindra vexed him even more than Ashalle or any of those other flirtatious elven women he'd met over the years. Ashalle could be very irritating sometimes, but that was only because she cared about him as a close friend and clanmate whilst Elindra was an utter nuisance who never gave up the chance to try and seduce him whenever they encountered each other. Magnus figured it was probably due to a brief fling that they'd shared during one of the gatherings back when they had both been fellow Firsts.

Since Magnus had been rather young when he became keeper, Elindra and a few other Firsts were around the same age as him if not slightly younger or older, mostly the former. He and Thalia had met Elindra and Keeper Gisharel at a previous gathering and admitted to himself that she was quite attractive. There had been only a few women before her who he had initially thought he cared about romantically only for those possible feelings of strong affection to change once the moment of passion was over and it was revealed as merely being lust.

Elindra, like his other past lovers, had caught his eye and clearly returned the interest. When Keeper Gisharel suggested that the two Firsts go and get to know each other so they could better understand one another once they both became keepers while he and Thalia discussed something else in private, Elindra had winked at him and rather enthusiastically led him back to her _aravel_ before either he or Thalia could respond. Magnus could have sworn he'd seen Thalia smirk behind him in brief amusement before her cold demeanor returned and she turned her attention back to Keeper Gisharel.

They had spent several hours just talking about themselves and enjoying each other's company. Magnus had even been impressed when he discovered that Elindra genuinely shared most of his beliefs on the conflict between their people and the _shemlen_. One thing had lead to another and well, they ended up spending the night together. Needless to say, Elindra had been like a thorn in his side ever since. Magnus was eternally grateful for the fact that the gatherings of the clans only occurred once every ten years and so he only had to endure her annoyingness until the gathering was over. He also couldn't deny that she was, at the very least, not as disdainful and irritating as Keeper Zathrian was.

The sound of a sudden clap snapped Magnus out of his thoughts, and he looked up to se Zathrian smiling confidently as he stood in front of the other keepers and addressed the crowd. Magnus tried his best to be discreet as he rolled his eyes at the old man.

"_Aneth ara_ to you all." Zathrian said with a politely jovial smile on his face."As you all already know, in just a few minutes we shall begin with the festivities, starting with the archery competition." He paused for just a moment before continuing."I wish everyone luck tonight. May both _Andruil_ and _Ghilan'nain_ help guide our hunters' arrows and help them to remember _Vir Assan_, way of the arrow."

Clearing his throat, Magnus stepped forward and took his place beside the old man with an equally polite and jovial smile on his face which was directed more at the crowd than at Zathrian."Let the games begin!" He declared with a wave of his hand as cheering and applause came from the crowd and the rest of the keepers.

Keeper Zathrian's eyes glinted with hidden ire as he glared at Magnus from the corner of his eye. Magnus met the old man's gaze, refusing to show any emotion as Zathrian muttered a curse under his breath and walked away. Running a hand through his dark hair, Magnus sighed deeply and felt some surprise when his gaze suddenly landed and locked on an elven woman whom he had never met or seen before.

Obviously startled, the titian-haired female elf froze in place, her light blue eyes meeting his as if trapped by his gaze, and Magnus found himself unable to look away for what felt like centuries until a hand suddenly tapped him on the shoulder and he turned around, breaking eye contact with the titian-haired elf in the process, to see Ashalle standing there with a wide smile on her face.

The blonde elf raised an eyebrow when she saw his slight surprise."Is there something bothering you?" She questioned, crossing her arms and fixing him with an inquisitive stare.

"No, I'm fine." He answered quickly, knowing she wouldn't believe him but also praying she wouldn't press him any further.

"Liar." She said dryly.

Magnus sighed inwardly. Why did he even bother trying if he knew she could tell when he was lying? The stubborn woman could read him like a book.

"_Lethallin_," She whispered, her tone and expression softening as she tilted her head at him."You know you can talk to me, right? All of your secrets are safe with me. And you know I won't ever judge you for having emotions just like any other elf does."

A small smile slowly spread across Magnus's face as he nodded gratefully at her. Ashalle had her moments where she could be extremely annoying and stubborn, but she only acted that way out of concern for him and a desire to see her best friend happy instead of miserable and lonely. Without Ashalle in his life, Magnus would not have someone to cheer him up and comfort him whenever he was feeling glum.

"Yes, I know." He replied with a soft sigh.

"Do you feel like telling me what's on your mind then?" She asked, flicking her head at him questioningly.

"Zathrian." Was all he said.

"Ah." She nodded empathetically, and smirked wryly."The old fart still won't stop lecturing you every five minutes and glaring darkly at you whenever you say something he doesn't agree with." It was clear from her tone, however, that she knew he was still holding something back, and so she pressed him further."Anything else?"

Magnus chuckled lightly. There really wasn't any point at all in lying to her; Ashalle was so stubborn and nosy sometimes that she could have very easily driven Dirthamen himself insane with all of her questions and refusal to back down until the Keeper of Secrets revealed every single one of his secrets to her just to make her stop talking and yelling at him.

Once again, he said only one word in response."Elindra."

Ashalle laughed."Is she flirting with you again?"

"Worse." He answered with a sigh."She and several other women have spent the last half-hour ogling me and whispering rather interesting things about me behind my back that they most likely **think** I cannot hear, although I am beginning to think that mayhap they actually **want** me to hear them."

Ashalle grinned."Knowing Elindra, she probably **does** want you to hear her, although I'm not sure if I can say the same about most of the other women. They may just be saying all those things behind your back without even realizing that you can hear them."

"Possibly." Magnus sighed softly as his thoughts traveled back to the titian-haired elf with whom he'd shared eye contact only moments ago. There was something about those light blue eyes of hers that fascinated him. He could tell that she was trying to hide her emotions, but it was not hard for him to sense the great passion and both physical and mental strength burning within her which only served to intrigue him further. Such a pity he did not know her name, although he hoped it would be one that suited her inner strength and passion.

"Earth to Magnus!" Ashalle exclaimed irritably as she poked his arm. Startled, Magnus blinked and raised a questioning eyebrow at her in irritation, but she glared back at him with equal irritation and rolled her eyes."Judging by that half-annoyed, half-startled look on your face, I'm going to assume you've been so lost in thought these past five minutes and thus have not heard a single word that I just said to you." She paused, remembering how she'd said almost the exact same thing to him mere hours ago, and, gave a wry smirk as she added with slight amusement,"Again."

Before she could inquire as to what he was thinking about this time, Ilana suddenly called out to him and began making her way toward him for the start of the archery competition. Noticing this, Ashalle sighed and turned to leave, but made sure to throw him a half-miffed, half-quizzical look from the corner of her eye that told him she would inevitably question him about the subject of his thoughts later. Magnus stifled a sigh, knowing he would have to endure Ashalle's interrogation once the festivities for the night were over.

'Oh well,' He thought with a sigh,',best to save these thoughts for later.'

Still, thoughts of the mysteriously beautiful titian-haired elf refused to leave his mind, especially when he found out that she was representing Zathrian's Levine Clan in the archery competition.

* * *

_The sun shined high in the sky without a single cloud threatening rain nor was there even a gust of wind and the birds sang such a lovely little tune for both the ears and heart to hear. It was literally perfect. Everything was perfect in this place. It was a perfect place, a place of peace. _

_But all the beauty and __perfection of this wonderful place was lost on by a lone being who stood in front of an _eluvian_, watching everything that had just occurred between Magnus Mahariel and Lara Tarsis with a thoughtfully stern look on his face and his arms crossed over his chest as he seemed to be pondering on what to do next, or if he should do **anything** at all._

_The being was a male elf, but his ears were much longer than any other's and he stood even taller than most humans. The mysteriously attractive elf's long hair was as golden as the sun and his equally-golden eyes glinted with curiosity, impatience, and hesitation all rolled into one. He wore light yellow robes shining just as brightly as the sun in __addition to a dark black cloak and orange headdress which made him look more resplendent than any prince, king, or even emperor the world had ever seen._

_"I see no resentment or contempt in your eyes for him anymore." A feminine voice said softly from behind him. _

_The male elf did not even bother to so much as glance over his shoulder at the owner of the voice, for he already knew who it was. Instead, he simply sighed quietly and uncrossed his arms so he could clasp his hands behind his back. He still did not look at the person behind him, not even as she heaved a deep sigh after several seconds of silence before moving closer to him and placing both of her hands on his shoulders. His eyes closed at the feeling of her soothing touch, although he felt some sadness over the fact that it did not feel the same like it once had so long ago._

_"_Elgar'nan_." She whispered his name."Please do not ignore me, _ma elgara."

_"How can I ignore you if you aren't really there?" His tone was bitter, disdainful, and most of all dejected."You're nothing more than an apparition pretending to be the woman I fell in love with so many years ago, and that shemlen witch of yours has ensured that you do not ever return to your true form."_

_"I offered **her** aid, _ma elgara_, not the other way around." She replied calmly, although she was deeply hurt by his ire and pain being directed at her. __The mysterious female sighed deeply again as she stepped closer to him again and wrapped her arms around his waist around from behind, slowly moving her hand up his chest until it rested over his heart._

_"You still have not responded to my earlier words." She said after a long moment of silence."You do not seem to harbor any more contempt or resentment toward him." _

_Elgar'nan's hand tentatively came to rest on top of hers. "I pity him." He said."The news that we have given him only adds to the weight of leadership and grief upon his shoulders." _

_"That perhaps you could persuade him." She said with a smile. _

_"The others tried that already, and you saw how they failed." He stated dryly. _

_"If I recall correctly," She said wryly,", Ghilan'nain only pleaded with him instead of using persuasion."_

_"I'm not going to scare him into agreeing with this, _emma lath_." _

_"Who said anything about scaring him?" She asked slyly, though her smile vanished when he raised an eyebrow at her and shook his head vigorously._

_"No, _Mythal_." He said sternly, his tone conveying the fact that he would not be easily persuaded otherwise by her._

_She frowned, and sighed."Then just talk to him. Maybe if he sees that we understand his plight better he thinks he will be able to decide for himself. And perhaps she will as well." _

_He gazed at her thoughtfully before sighing and untangling himself from her embrace."I'll consider it, but I make no promises yet." His eyes turned rather cold and stern then, but his voice was soft and loving."If you don't mind, I require some time to think about this alone now." _

_She smiled, stepping forward to caress his face with her delicate fingers as his own fingers gently caught her wrist. Still smiling, she placed her other hand his face as well and pulled him to her for a brief but loving kiss, ending it before he could reciprocate. She then walked past him and disappeared into the _eluvian_ without looking back as he watched her leave with sad eyes. _

_Silence followed for several long minutes until _Elgar'nan's_ let out a deep sigh and shook his head in annoyance._

_"The things I do for love." He grumbled irritably before turning around and walking into the forest until he was no longer in sight._

* * *

_Please remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames!_

_Elven translations: _

_Andruil - Goddess of hunt_

_Ghilan'nain - Mother of the halla_

_Vir Assan - Way of the arrow _

_Vallaslin - (Literally: Blood writing) The art of tattooing adopted by the Dalish to display their worship of the traditional elven pantheon. It also signifies each elf's coming into the status of adulthood among their clan._

_June - God of crafts_

_Dirthamen - (Literally: Keeper Of Secrets) Twin brother of Falon'Din. Master of the two ravens Fear and Deceit._

_Sylaise - (Literally: The hearthkeeper) Goddess who gave the elves fire, taught them how to weave rope and thread, and to use herbs and magic for healing purposes. Sister of Andruil._

_Mythal - (Literally: The great protector) Chief elven goddess; Wife of Elgar'nan; Goddess of love, protection, and motherhood._

_Elgar'nan - (Literally: Spirit of vengeance) Chief elven god; Husband of Mythal; God of vengeance and fatherhood. _

_Aneth ara (Literally: My safe place) A sociable or friendly greeting, more commonly used among the Dalish themselves rather than with outsiders._

_Elvhen - __Elven/Elves _

_Da'len - Little child/Little one _

_Eluvian - (Literally: seeing glass) An __enchanted mirror used by the elves of Arlathan to communicate and travel from great distances._

_Lethallin - Friend/Kinsman (Male)_

_Ma elgara - My sun _

_Emma lath - My love_

_Next up: Chapter 8:Friendly Concern _


	10. Chapter 8:Friendly Concern

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

* * *

"A friend is more concerned about helping people than getting credit. A friend cares. A friend loves. A friend listens. And a friend reaches out."  
— Thomas S. Monson

**Chapter 8:Friendly Concern**

* * *

If there was one person who knew Magnus Mahariel better than he knew himself, it was Ashalle. 2-3 decades of friendship didn't just vanish in the blink of an eye, after all; the bond shared between the keeper and his best friend since childhood was even stronger than the one shared between a brother and sister or even between the keeper and his First. Trust was not something easily given, and Ashalle knew just how much trust Magnus had in her and how grateful he was to have her as a friend. Sure, she drove him crazy sometimes, but only out of concern and love, and without her there for him whenever he needed a shoulder to cry on or someone to talk to, Ashalle knew Magnus would have already fallen into utter depression and loneliness long ago.

That was why Ashalle never left his side ever since they were children. She saw the awful way Thalia treated him, and it was all she could do to comfort him while he cried in her embrace. Ashalle cared deeply for Magnus and did truly love him, but not in a romantic way. Instead, she loved him like a close friend and brother, a feeling which Magnus shared. Whenever he was with her, he knew there was no need for masks or lies and that he could say whatever was on his mind without worry of her telling anyone else about their conversation.

But Magnus needed more than just a friend; he needed love, family, children. Ashalle had watched him have a few brief dalliances with other women, but none of them ever meant anything to him once the moment of passion was over. He always looked miserable afterwards, no matter how well he hid it from everyone else. She could tell that deep down inside, he did want love, family, and children, but duty as well as his own stubbornness prevented him from hoping for such a wonderful thing to occur to him. He deserved so much more than to just live his entire life without ever experiencing the joy of love and fatherhood, and she was determined to help him get those things, whether he liked it or not.

Thalia's death had caused him to completely hide his true self from others in accordance with Thalia's final advise to him before she died. The look on his face when he turned to face Ashalle just moments after the keeper had passed away shocked Ashalle due to how void it was of any true emotion or life. Her best friend had become a different man that today, one who never showed anything but calmness and confidence in public and one who almost burst into tears of frustration and exhaustion when he spoke to her in private.

It hurt to see her childhood friend and keeper endure so much pain and responsibility. The only time his smiles and laughter were actually genuine was whenever she tried telling a bad joke to make him stop frowning for awhile or when he rarely decided to participate or at least watch as the rest of the clan gathered around the bonfire to tell stories and listen to _Hahren_ Paivel teach the children about the history of their people.

A sigh escaped Ashalle's lips as she felt a headache coming on from all of these unpleasant thoughts. How Magnus somehow managed not to lose his sanity even with her there for him to confide in was a complete mystery for her. All Keeper Zathrian did was berate and glare at him all day, while Keeper Gisharel remained utterly oblivious to how his First, Elindra, did not stop trying to flirt with or merely annoy Magnus. The other keepers normally chose to either ignore the situation and act like absolutely nothing was wrong, or offer scant words of sympathy to Magnus later on. Ashalle would usually be sitting beside Magnus and exchanging disgusted looks with Marethari as they both watched these fools who called themselves keepers try to apologize to Magnus for not standing up for him despite all the times **he'd** stood up for their worthless behinds in the past.

Marethari did not usually voice her disgust for the way Magnus was treated as much as Ashalle did; the young First would simply bow her head and give a polite smile to hide her irritation just like Magnus had taught her. The girl would certainly need those diplomatic skills for when she became keeper one day and was forced to deal with Zathrian berating her the exact same way he did Magnus. Ashalle prayed to the Creators that she would be able to maintain her sanity when that day came, but she quickly shook it off as something that they need not worry about for a long time.

Bringing up a hand to rub her temples, Ashalle sighed again as she made her way through the crowd to Magnus's _aravel_. After the incident with the archery competition, the two remaining archers, Ilana and the girl from the Levine Clan whose name Ashalle did not know, agreed to have a rematch on the very last night of the gathering which would give both girls more time to practice again and actually declare an official winner. But until then, the others competitions began and ended within a few hours, and music and dancing followed soon after, with everyone now enjoying themselves and happily dancing to the exuberant music played by the musicians. Everyone except Magnus, of course.

Unsurprisingly, Magnus was inside his _aravel_ no doubt meditating or reading a book or just being his usual morose, dejected self, and Ashalle would not let him sulk and brood around all night. She was totally prepared to grab that man by the arm and drag him out if need be. He was going to enjoy himself tonight and forget about his troubles whether he liked it or not.

Ashalle did not even bother knocking or saying anything as she simply opened the _aravel_ door and went inside. She was not surprised in the slightest to see Magnus sitting on his bedroll with his journal in his lap and a quill in his hand as he continued to write with a confused and morose look on his as if he hadn't noticed her presence. Something was clearly bothering him, and Ashalle was determined to find out what.

The elven woman's stern expression softened and she sighed for the third time that evening before clearing her throat loudly to get her friend's attention. Startled, he immediately looked up from his journal and sighed, which was not unusual for him to do when she came in without knocking."Somehow, this doesn't surprise me." He muttered under his breath as he closed his journal and put it away along with his quill.

Ashalle rolled her eyes, and smirked at him."Funny, I was just about to tell you the same thing."

"I despise it when you're right." He hissed through gritted teeth, more to himself than to her.

"Care to tell me what's bothering you now then?" She asked softly, sitting down beside him. He opened his mouth to reply, but she put up a hand to interrupt him."And don't you dare tell me nothing's wrong, because that is complete and utter rubbish, _lethallin_."

Magnus raised an eyebrow, both amused and annoyed."You certainly don't mince words, do you?" She opened her mouth to reply, but this time it was his turn to put up a hand to interrupt her."Please don't answer that, _lethallan_. It was a rhetorical question, but I have a feeling you already knew that."

Ashalle playfully punched him in the shoulder."And I have a feeling you already know why I'm here." She replied, smirking when he groaned before turning serious."You have two choices: I can either drag you outside in front of the other clans, or we can stay in here and you can tell me what's on your mind like you always do." She raised an eyebrow."Which one will it be?"

Sighing, Magnus held up two fingers to indicate that he had chosen the second option. A grin spread across Ashalle's face."A wise decision." She said, folding her hands in her lap and giving him a stern look."Now talk."

Magnus sighed once more, knowing he had no other choice but to tell her the truth."A few days ago, the night before _Arlathvhen_ started actually, I had a dream. And a very strange one at that."

"What was it about?" She asked, tilting her head.

"Promise me that you won't think I'm crazy?" He asked.

"I promise." She nodded, meaning every word of it.

Magnus hesitated only for a second before answering."It was about the Creators." The elven woman's eyes widened in surprise, but she did not interrupt him and instead gestured for him to continue speaking."At first, I was in some kind of a field and there were these voices, I could tell they weren't human or elven; they sounded like animals. They must have heard my thoughts, because they stated yelling at me for offending them with such thoughts until their master called them by their names: Fear and Deceit, and told them to be quiet. There were several other voices that sounded more elven, and...and they identified themselves as the Creators. All of them praised me, all of them except for _Elgar'nan_ that is; he just seemed so resentful and annoyed by me the entire time. The other Creators ignored him and told me that this _Arlathvhen _would_..._change my life and that...one day...my children would wear the mark of _Falon'Din_ and _Dirthamen_...and do me proud. I woke up before I could get them to elaborate."

For awhile, neither of them said anything, Magnus choosing to avoid eye contact with a shocked Ashalle who could only stare at him in stunned silence for what like hours until he smiled wryly and asked,"Still don't think I'm crazy?" He lowered his head, continuing to speak."I had another dream just a few hours ago while I as napping before the festivities began. The Forgotten Ones were all taunting me until _Ghilan'nain_ came and got them to go away and leave me alone. She tried to convince me to accept this prophecy of hers and the other gods, but I refused. When she tried again, I got angry and...I yelled at her that my answer was still no and that I wanted no one else to mention this inane prophecy to me ever again. That was when I woke up."

It took Ashalle another minute to find her voice, and even then it was soft and barely audible."What kind of...prophecy are we talking about here?"

"I think you know already." He replied, still avoiding eye contact with her.

"They want you to take a lover." Ashalle whispered, seeing him nod curtly in response from the corner of her eye. She had also wanted Magnus to have children one day but with someone he loved, not one of those past dalliances of his. There was no way any of those women were pregnant, or else they would have come running back to Magnus and told him already. That meant these children of his were yet to be born."Anyone in particular they've selected for you?"

"All I know is that she is apparently marked by _Ghilan'nain_, but I could be wrong. I'm not really sure." A sigh escaped his lips as he slowly stood up and clasped his hands behind his back, walking toward where his staff was leaning against a bench and hesitantly picking it up. He examined it in silence for several seconds, looking more confused, tired, and depressed than Ashalle had ever seen him. The dreams about the Creators were obviously bothering him more than she could fathom.

"Are you alright?" She finally found the voice to ask him after what like hours of quietude between them.

Closing his eyes, he shook his head very slowly."I know you want me to be happy, _lethallan_. You want me to find love, have children, a family. And deep down inside, as much as I try to deny it, I've always wanted that for myself too, but when you're a keeper like me, you have to make sacrifices and one of those sacrifices is usually one's own happiness. If I do ever have children, I'll never be able to be a real father to them nor will I ever be present in their lives, and I'd rather die than live like that. My life is better this way, and I'm better off being alone for the rest of my life."

Ashalle frowned, standing and walking over to him. She hesitated only for a second before placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, causing him to look at her with a raised eyebrow.

She smiled, the gesture slow but warm and friendly nevertheless."You will never be alone, _lethallin_." She said after a moment of silence."No matter what, **I** will **always** be here for you, so don't you **ever** think that you're alone, because as long as I'm here, you never will be."

Magnus gazed at her in surprise for a minute before giving her a somewhat hesitant yet grateful smile and nod."_Ma serannes, lethallan_." He said, inclining his head.

Ashalle merely nodded her head and gave his shoulder a small squeeze in response.

* * *

If there was one person who knew Lara Tarsis better than she knew herself, it was Master Varathorn. He'd practically raised the girl after her parents died when she was still a _da'len_, and loved her like the younger sister and daughter he'd never had and never would. It was true that she was now an adult and shared an _aravel_ with her best friend Elora, but to Varathorn she would forever be that little girl who he had taken in as his own and watched grow from a confused, frightened, and sad child into a brave, intelligent, independent, and passionate young woman who was one of the finest hunters in their clan. _Da'assan_, he'd called her for so many years, a nickname that both suited and slightly annoyed her most of the time, but he knew she enjoyed it when he called her that and how she allowed **only** **him** to use that term of endearment around her.

That was why Varathorn had always been so protective of her whenever Errol or another male elf tried to get a little too close to her. Normally, Lara was more than capable of handling herself against any unwanted suitors by making it clear that she was not interested in a relationship of any kind of them and soon enough they all went away after realizing that she was completely serious in her rejection of them. Well, all of them except for Errol, who, although just a harmless yet extremely annoying buffoon literally lacking the ability to see that Lara despised him beyond words and wanted absolutely nothing to do with him, constantly chased after her and was someone who Varathon truly loathed more than anyone or anything else.

Now **this** was the type of case in which Varothorn did not hesitate to protect Lara from the idiot who never stopped bothering her. Sometimes Varthorn worried that he might become a dangerous problem for his _da'assan_ in the future, but he assured himself with the knowledge that if Errol ever posed a serious threat to Lara, then she had him, Athras, and especially Keeper Zathrian, who perhaps hated Errol with a passion even more than he did Keeper Magnus, to keep her safe and put Errol in his place. But so long as the lad remained nothing more than a mere pain in the neck and a blissfully ignorant fool, there wasn't anything to worry about.

What **did** actually worry Varathorn in this moment was Lara's recent attraction to Keeper Magnus. No one could deny that Magnus was very handsome and charming and also that Lara was a rare beauty among the Dalish both on the inside and on the outside, which was exactly what worried Varathorn. He knew about all those past dalliances of Magnus's with other women which never led to anything more than brief moments of passion, Keeper Gisharel's First Elindra being among those women, and he had no wish for Lara to become one of those women as well. Even though he genuinely respected Keeper Magnus and had no ill will toward him at all, Varathorn could tell that the dark-haired keeper was not the type of man looking to start a family and settle down, for Magnus was a man of duty and was devoted to protecting his clan, even at the cost of his own happiness and life.

Lara was just like Keeper Magnus in that regard, although while she was fiery and often acted on her emotions, Magnus was a much more careful person who always thought things through first and rarely ever lost control of himself. Come to think of it, Varathorn realized that neither he nor anyone else had **ever** seen Magnus lose control of himself in public at all. No matter happened what his visage was constantly one of seemingly endless wisdom, confidence, and calmness. He and Lara were so different, yet so much alike as well. And the age difference was not really that much of a problem either; Magnus was only about five years older than Lara and while that kind of age difference meant only a little bit of awkwardness or surprise by _shemlen_ and city elf standards, to the Dalish it meant nothing. Keeper Zathrian may have been the only one to regain the immortality of their ancient ancestors so far, but the Dalish all still lived longer than anyone else and as a result aged at a far slower rate. It was because of this that a five year age difference between Magnus and Lara was literally not an issue in the slightest, and Master Ilen's words to Lara from just a few hours ago about Keeper Magnus regarding how close their ages were by Dalish standarde could not have been any more true right now.

Varathorn sighed inwardly as he sat on a bench outside of his _aravel_ and worked on a carving while contemplating all of these things. If Lara were to start a relationship of any kind with Keeper Magnus, which Keeper Zathrian would definitely never approve of, then it would most likely not end well for both of them. The thought of seeing Lara devastated and angry if something like that ever did happen only served to increase Varathorn's worry for her. She'd never been in any type of romantic or even merely intimate relationship with a man and although Varathorn trusted her and knew she could take care of herself, her lack of experience in things like this made his head hurt just thinking about it.

"Master Varathorn?" The sudden feeling of a hand on his shoulder made him jump slightly though he calmed down upon seeing Lara standing there with a desperate look of panic on her face. It was not hard for him to tell why.

"Errol again, _da'assan_?" He guessed, eyebrow raised. She nodded urgently, and for the second time that evening, he did not hesitate to let her hide behind him as he stood up and glared disapprovingly at Errol who immediately came to a stop directly in front of him less than a minute later.

"Errol, what have I told you about bothering Lara?" Varathorn asked sternly, his voice cold and eyes narrowed hostilely at the younger man who unsurprisingly reeked of sweat from chasing Lara.

Errol frowned petulantly."But I wasn't bothering her!" He exclaimed."And besides, you said I shouldn't vex her before the archery competition, and now she has a whole week until the rematch so I'm not doing anything wrong!"

"Sexually harassing me doesn't count as doing anything wrong then, you stupid fool?!" Lara hissed through gritted teeth.

"Is this true, Errol?" Varathorn questioned, raising an eyebrow at the irritating elf.

"I was just asking her to dance-" Errol protested, but Lara lividly interrupted him.

"You tried to drag me down there and touched me when I specifically told you to keep your filthy hands off me!" She shouted, eyes filled with rage.

"Errol." Varathorn said, having had enough of this dolt chasing after Lara and now going as far as trying to force her to come with him. Taking a step forward, the craftsman gently pushed Lara closer to the entrance of his _aravel_ and grabbed Errol by the collar, evoking a grunt of surprise from the younger elf."I am sick and tired of you harassing Lara. She is not interested in you and she never will be. That much has been made clear to you on several occasions already and yet you still continue to bother her. But since you apparently cannot understand such a simple concept or just refuse to accept it, I am warning you right now: stay away from Lara, and if I ever catch you attempting to get closer to her against her will or if you even **think** of aggravating her ever again, then I will not hesitate to make sure you never **live** to come near her again. Do I make myself clear to you, Errol?"

"Oh, I believe you have made yourself **more** than clear, Master Varathorn. Errol simply needs to learn to start listening to what others tell him." All three elves turned to see Keeper Zathrian learning on his staff while he glowered disapprovingly at Errol."Please allow me to have a word with the lad instead, seeing as he lacks the ability to understand when he is not wanted." The old keeper straightened up a bit and snapped his fingers at the young man."Come, Errol. Clearly, you are not capable of showing respect to young women as well as your elders without being punished or reprimanded."

Errol opened his mouth to protest, but shut it when Zathrian shot him a threatening glare that told him there would far worse consequences if he tried to disobey. The younger elf sighed irritably and reluctantly did as his keeper ordered him to with slumped shoulders as he knew Zathrian would not be merciful in punishing Errol for his terrible behavior this evening. Giving a polite smile and nod to Lara and Varathorn, Zathrian glowered once more at Errol and gestured for the lad to walk next to him on their way to the keeper's _aravel_.

Lara let out a huge sigh of relief as she watched Keeper Zathrian take Errol away from her, and Varathorn gave her a pat on the shoulder to silently assure her that their keeper would deal with Errol himself without any issues. After all, no matter how brave and smart Errol liked to think he was, on the inside he was nothing more than an arrogant, stupid caitiff who was no better than the dirt they walked on.

"_Ma serannas, lethallin_." Lara nodded gratefully at him and bit her lip as her eyes flickered in the direction of where Zathrian and Errol had went."And I believe I should give Keeper Zathrian my thanks as well later on."

"That will most likely not be necessary, _da'assan_." Varathorn said while shaking his head."You and I both know that Keeper Zathrian has always gladly dealt with punishing Errol for his incompetence and inexcusable actions." His eyes darkened briefly as his voice lowered to a menacing whisper."And please, do not hesitate to let me know if he attempts to touch you against your will ever again, because I meant what I said to him just a few moments ago."

Lara smiled."I know you did." She replied with a quiet sigh."I think I'll be going now. I'll see you either later on this evening or in the morning, _lethallin_." She bowed her head at him and walked away before he could respond.

Varathorn watched her go without a word, his eyes lowering as he sighed deeply and secretly hoped that there was really nothing to worry about regarding her attraction to Keeper Magnus and that he was simply being paranoid.

Little did he know just how real his suspicions about Lara Tarsis and Magnus Mahariel would become in the next few days.

* * *

_Hey! I'm back again and as you can see this chapter, unlike the others, wasn't made from Magnus and Lara's separate points of view because I felt it might make the story more interesting if I had you see all how the people around them think so I'm probably gonna do the same thing with other characters and chapters every now and then as well. Apologies for the long wait again but I hope you all still enjoyed the chapter! Until next time , __please remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames! _

_Elven Translations:_

_Hahren - Elder _

_Aravel - A wagon or tent used by the Dalish_

_Lethallin - (Male) Friend/Kinsman _

_Lethallan - (Female) Friend/Kinswoman_

_Dirthamen - (Literally: Keeper Of Secrets) Twin brother of Falon'Din. Master of the two ravens Fear and Deceit._

_Falon'Din - (Literally: Friend Of The Dead) Elven god of the dead who guides the elven people's dead souls into the Beyond. Twin brother of Dirthamen._

_Elgar'nan - (Literally: Spirit of vengeance) Chief elven god; Husband of Mythal; God of vengeance and fatherhood. _

_Ghilan'nain - Mother of the halla_

_Arlathvhen (Literally: For the love of the people) Meeting of the Dalish clans that occurs every ten years._

_Da'len - Little child/Little one _

_Da'assan - Little arrow_

_Shemlen - Humans_

_Ma serannas - My thanks/Thank you_

_Next up: Chapter 9:First Meeting _


	11. Chapter 9:First Meeting

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

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"This is going to sound crazy, but... from the moment I first set eyes on you I haven't been able to stop thinking about you."  
― Leigh Fallon, _Carrier of the Mark_

**Chapter 9:First Meeting**

* * *

Magnus clapped his hands to the beat of the music as he, _Hahren_ Paivel, and _Hahren_ Vinell watched the rest of their clan and several other elves dance enthusiastically to the song the musicians were playing. His talk with Ashalle had helped him gey rid of some of the stress from his dreams. They were still fresh in his mind, of course, but not so fresh that he would lose anymore sleep over them. At least he hoped he wouldn't.

He sighed, shaking his head to rid himself of these troubling thoughts in favor of watching his clan enjoy themselves this evening. Ashalle was trying to get Zehpyr to notice her, unaware that Zephyr was trying to get her to notice him as well. The two lovestruck elves were constantly switching dance partners in an attempt to dance with each other, but someone else always popped up and stole one of them away from the other. This happened exactly ten times before Ashalle finally locked eyes with Magnus and gave him a beseeching look similar to the one he usually have her whenever he needed her help getting rid of other elven women surrounding him.

Understanding her silent plea, Magnus rolled his eyes and bit back a smile. The keeper muttered a spell in Elvish and snapped his fingers, causing a tiny root to suddenly wrap around Zephyr's ankle and hold him in place. Zehpyr looked down at his ankle in confusion, wondering what the heck was going on when Magnus made the root release his ankle as Ashalle came closer to the hunter then used telekinesis to shove Ashalle right into Zephyr's arms. The two elves stared at each other for a minute, blushing, until Zephyr offered Ashalle his hand, which she happily accepted and the two immediately started dancing together just as the musicians began playing a slow song.

'Remind me to tease her about this later on as revenge for teasing me all the time about **my** love life.' Magnus thought to himself with a smirk.'Or lack thereof.' His smirk fell at that last thought.

"That was an appropriate use of magic, _gisir_." _Hahren_ Vinell said, breaking him out of his thoughts.

Magnus raised an eyebrow at her, feigning confusion. She scoffed, unconvinced by his false presentation of innocence."The _asha_ is a bad influence on you." She muttered.

A _da'len_ could have fingered out who she was talking about. Magnus stifled a sigh. Vinell was a wise woman, already old when Thalia had just become keeper, but she was also cold, stubborn, and irritating, perhaps even more so than Thalia. She never failed to point out another person's errors or flaws. Even Thalia had found the bitter old woman to be a pain, though all it normally was one icy glare to silence her. If there was one **good** thing Thalia taught Magnus, it was how to keep Vinell quiet.

"You've an issue with Ashalle, _Hahren_ Vinell?" Magnus asked calmly. _Hahren_ Paivel shifted uncomfortably behind him, knowing this conversation would not end well. Magnus felt sorry for the poor man, who was only a few years younger than Vinell, and although harsh and stubborn, far more kinder and amiable than the female elf was most of the time. He made a mental note to apologize to him for making him witness this dispute between himself and Vinell later on.

Unsurprisingly, Vinell did not hesitate to voice her opinion with a mirthless smile."Surely you know better than anyone what a pain in your side Ashalle has been. Not only that, but she lacks the ability to take anything or anyone seriously. Her mere existence is a distraction to your duty as keeper."

Vinell had a point. Ashalle was extremely annoying to Magnus on several occasions, but she was **not** a distraction. The only reason she acted the way she did was because she cared about him and if not for her, he would have no one to talk to in private and be his real self in front of. She was his best friend, his sister, and he would not tolerate Vinell having the gall to insult her.

"It is true that Ashalle can indeed be quite troublesome." Magnus said slowly, eyes narrowing."However, she is a good friend and does not ever attempt to distract me from my duty. No one has ever been able to distract me from my duty as keeper, and **that** is fact."

"How can you be so sure?" Vinell asked brazenly."Your magic should be used only to protect the clan and in very serious situations, yet less than a minute ago, you used it to assist her in getting together with another member of the clan."

"Ashalle did silently request my assistance, yes." Magnus said with a sigh."But she did not force me to help her. I did so of my own free will. A friend requested my help, so I granted it. She would have gladly done the same for me. Creators know she has assisted me in escaping from numerous other women trying to surround and seduce me."

"How ironic given the fact that she is among those who want nothing than for you to find a bedmate."

Magnus gritted his teeth, struggling to remain calm."If I wished for a bedmate, _Hahren_, I would have no problem getting one myself just like I have done a few times in the past. Ashalle wishes for me to find a bondmate and be happy with a family. I do not usually agree with her opinions, but I value her advice and friendship very much. Besides, it is not as though she is forcing me to find someone to love. I am keeper, lest you have forgotten, and if I wish to be romantically involved with another person, which I do not, no one can prevent me from doing so."

Vinell scowled."Thalia would not stand for you using your magic to help that whore if she were here."

That did it. Fuming inwardly, Magnus glared at Vinell and took a step toward her, noticing how she seemed to nervously take step back in fear upon realizing she'd struck a nerve within Magnus by speaking of Ashalle in such a derogatory manner. Magnus seldom got angry, and when he did, everyone knew it was best keep their mouths shut and leave him alone until he calmed down. Unfortunately for Vinell, this was one of those situations, and she was the cause of it.

"That whore," Magnus spat venomously,", just so happens to be my best friend and practically my sister since childhood. Yes, she can be a true pain in my side sometimes, but her intentions are always good and she behaves the way she does because she cares for me and wants me to be happy. You've every right to harbor your own opinion of her, but you will not even think of insulting her in my presence ever again, or I promise you _Hahren_, you shall wish Keeper Thalia was still alive, for her characteristic wrath is perhaps pale in comparison to mine when someone I care about is spoken of with such insolence and contempt. Should you ever speak out of turn like again, we will find out just who is more frightening and dangerous when they are angry. Do I make myself clear?"

Vinell swallowed thickly, nodding her head and bowing slightly."Yes, _gisir. Ir abelas. _Please forgive my rudeness. It shall not happen again."

"Good." Magnus replied icily, waving his hand at her."Now get out of my sight."

Vinell bowed again before doing as she was told and quickly heading back to her _aravel_. Magnus sighed and brought up a hand to rub his temples as he felt another headache coming. This was doubtless the longest night of his entire life. He would really need to drink some tea and get enough sleep tonight when the events of this night were over if he was going to survive the rest of the week. He only hoped he wouldn't be plagued by any more dreams tonight.

Another sigh escaped his lips.'This is going to be a very long gathering for me.' He thought as he nodded apologetically at _Hahren_ Paivel then walked away.

* * *

Lara sighed as she leaned back against a tree and watched as several other elves danced together, first to a very loud energetic tune then to a slower, more romantic melody. Watching all those couples enjoying themselves, including Athras and Danyla, made her feel just a little bit jealous of their happiness. She cursed herself and shook her head for thinking such foolish thoughts. Love was not something she needed nor wanted in her life. All she wanted was to be happy and being one of the finest hunters in her clan was what made her happy. And yet, for some unknown reason, she felt as if she was missing something in her life, or perhaps even someone.

"Hello beautiful." Oh sweet _Sylaise_, not Errol again! Keeper Zathrian had already ordered him to stay away from her for the rest of the night in addition to cleaning up after the halla for Elora for the next three days and not being allowed to hunt for the next two weeks. One would think Errol had learned his lesson after receiving such a harsh punishment, but to someone who knew the man as well as Lara did, it was hardly a surprise.

"Shouldn't you be cleaning up after the halla for Elora, _seth'lin_?" Lara asked icily. She pushed off the tree and rudely gestured for him to go away, not at all surprised when he remained blissfully ignorant as always and did not do as she said. He simply stood there, looking at her with characteristically excited eyes, although strangely, they were not oblivious anymore. It almost seemed as if he actually understood what was really going on and how much Lara hated him and wanted him to leave her alone. What disturbed Lara the most, however, was how...threatening and slightly mirthless his smile was.

Rather than respond to her rhetorical question like she expected him to, Errol took a step toward her, causing her to take a step back and press her back against the tree as he seemingly succeeded in cornering her. Refusing to be intimidated, she lifted her head and glared at him."Go away, Errol." She said coldly."Or so help me I'll make sure Keeper Zathrian never lets you hunt or enjoy life again."

Errol laughed, not the same roar of laughter he'd given a few hours ago but instead a cold, mirthless laugh. The sound of it made Lara more uncomfortable and almost...afraid to say the least."Don't think that I'm afraid of you, _da'assan_." He said calmly.

Lara raised a hand to slap him, but he caught her wrist and twisted it. She bit her lip, stifling a yelp of pain and glared at him."Let me go right now Errol, or else." She growled at him through gritted teeth.

"Or else what?" He scoffed.

"Or else_ Ma halam_." She spat at him, yanking her wrist out of his grasp."And don't you ever call me _da'assan_ again!"

Suddenly, Errol grabbed her shoulders and pinned her against the tree. She gasped at the force of her back hitting the tree and squirmed in his grip. Smirking, he leaned in closer to her and laughed in her face. She glared at him, fighting the urge to shudder at the unpleasant feeling of his disgusting breath on her face.

"Listen to me, whore." He hissed."I don't care what Master Varathorn or Keeper Zathrian do or say. You will be mine, whether you like it or not, and your virginity is mine to take, whether you want me to or not. Is that clear?"

"Let me go, _seth'lin_!" She yelled, only for him to muffle her with his hand and drag her out of sight into the shadows. Lara struggled in his grip, kicking and screaming as loud as possible for help. Errol yelped in pain when she kicked him in the knee and slapped him hard across the face before running away. He tried to grab her again but was pulled back from behind and flung to the ground.

"Do you make a habit of attempting to force yourself on women who clearly want nothing to do with you?" Keeper Magnus asked calmly as he pinned Errol down with his foot and helped a slightly shaken Lara to her feet. Lara was relieved to have someone come to her rescue, especially Magnus, though she felt too disturbed as well as confused by what just happened to say anything, instead silently tying her hair up in a chignon and fixing her armor slightly. To say that she was shocked by what just happened would be an understatement.

"Are you alright?" All Lara could do was nod curtly in response to Keeper Magnus's question. She wrapped her arms around herself, taking a deep breath and glowering down at Errol who was groaning in pain as he vainly tried to get the keeper's foot off his chest.

"What in the name of the Creators is going on here?!" Keeper Zathrian suddenly appeared out of nowhere with Master Varathorn, Athras, Danyla, Elora, and Sarel behind him. All six of them froze in place and gaped at the sight before them. Elora and Danyla immediately hurried to Lara's side and grasped her hands tightly. Lara looked at Varathorn, noticing how his shocked expression was a match to her own and resisted the urge to smile when she saw Athras and Sarel scowling at Errol.

It took about a minute for Keeper Zathrian to get over his shock. When he finally did, his dropped jaw closed and his eyes narrowed. He lifted his chin, sneering at Errol before turning his attention to Keeper Magnus."Mahariel," He said, his voice surprisingly soft although his eyes glinted with malice directed purely at Errol.", what happened?"

Lara was grateful he didn't ask her. She felt too frightened and disgusted by what Errol had tried to do to her to speak. She also felt confused. Errol had always been annoying and obsessive, but never had he dared to call her a whore or grab her like that. Anger, fear, and nausea filled her system as she fought not to vomit. Elora gently squeezed her hand and whispered comforting words into her ear while Danyla wrapped an arm around her shoulders and rubbed her back soothingly.

Still keeping Errol pinned down with his foot, Magnus turned to Zathrian and gestured toward the younger elf."This young man attempted to force himself on this young lady against her will." He pointed at Lara, who could only nod her head in confirmation when Zathrian shot her a look silently asking her if this was true. His expression quickly turned from shock to horror then to complete and utter fury. Magnus seemed to understand what the older man wanted to do and stepped aside, nodding at him. Less than a second later, lightning erupted from Zathrian's hand and Errol screamed at the top of his lungs in agony. Zathrian stopped before Errol's screams could get any louder and gave a swift wave of his hand to put the younger man to sleep.

As she watched all of this happen, Lara suddenly began to feel dizzy. Her stomach was in knots, her legs were shaking, her heart was beating faster than ever, and she could hardly breathe, not to mention she was no sweating uncontrollably. Bile tore at the back of her throat, but she angrily swallowed it down.

Why was she feeling this way? Errol had only **tried** to force himself on her. He had never gotten the chance to actually touch her, thanks to Keeper Magnus. So why then she did she feel so weak and traumatized? She shut her eyes and shook her head vigorously, refusing to let herself cry. Elora and Danyla were both looking at her with concern, asking her questions she couldn't hear. One of them shook her shoulder slightly and whispered her name, but she was unable to say anything in response.

The last thing she heard was someone shouting her name before her legs crumbled beneath her and everything went black.

* * *

Lara's eyes slowly fluttered open as she realized she was lying on a cot in someone else's _aravel_. There was a awful pain in the back of her head, though she had no idea why. Her light blue eyes flickered confusedly around to her surrounding, wondering what was going on and how she'd gotten here. That was when she remembered what had happened before she passed out.

Errol had tried to rape her. He'd failed, thanks to the intervention of Keeper Magnus, but she was extremely shocked and confused by the ordeal. Tears threatened to escape her eyes and she blinked them away. Crying would not solve anything. It would only make her feel worse. She needed to be strong. If she cried, then she would be letting Errol win. That was what he wanted, after all. He wanted to make her feel weak and helpless and she refused to give him what he wanted. She was not his property, nor was she a whore. He could rot in the Beyond and get his head torn off by the Dread Wolf for all she cared after what he tried to do her.

With a sigh, she sat up and saw none other than Keeper Magnus himself, her savior from earlier, leaning against the doorway with an open tome in his hands. As if sensing her gaze on him, he looked up and closed the tome, placing it on a nearby bench and hurrying to her side. It wasn't until he waved his hand and muttered a healing spell that Lara realized her head was bandaged. She must have hit her head when Errol slammed her a little too hard against the tree. That combined with how disgusted and shocked she'd felt by his attempt to rape her must have been the reason why she passed out. Emotional trauma mixed with physical pain was never a good combination, after all.

"Are you alright?" Keeper Magnus asked, his dark blue eyes glinting with concern for her.

She nodded hesitantly, then raised an eyebrow."W-Where am I?" Her voice was almost inaudible, and she cursed herself for sounding so weak and frightened in front of him.

"Keeper Zathrian asked me to look after you while he dealt with Errol." He replied."We were all very worried when you suddenly passed out until we realized you'd hit your head against the tree and received a minor concussion. You've been unconscious all night."

Lara's eyes widened."Am I-"

"Don't worry. You weren't seriously injured. I merely recommend that you stay in bed and rest for the remainder of the day. You should be fine by nightfall, but don't touch the bandages. They need to stay on for at least three days until your head is fully healed." He explained with a smile.

Lara smiled weakly."Y-You helped me. _Ma serannas, gisir_."

He looked away almost shyly."I was merely passing by when I heard some noises and saw you two in the shadows. I wasn't about to let him hurt you." He obviously hadn't meant for the words to sound so romantic, but they did nonetheless. She lowered her head and smiled slightly to keep him from seeing her blush. The two of them stared at each other for a long moment until two familiar voices snapped them back into reality.

"Lara!" Elora and Danyla cried in unison as they ran into the _aravel_ without knocking and threw their arms around Lara in relief. Lara gasped, causing them to pull away in fear that they had hurt her.

Obviously uncomfortable, Keeper Magnus cleared his throat and bowed his head."Seeing as you will not be alone and I've some things to take care of this morning, I will leave you with your friends now. Should you need anything, my First is right outside and would be more than willing to assist you. _Dareth shiral_." He nodded again before exiting the _aravel_.

It wasn't until he left that Danyla noticed Lara's slightly flushed face. The dark-haired elf raised a quizzical eyebrow at her friend and noddedtoward the doorway."What were you two talking about just now?" She asked while poking Lara's shoulder playfully.

"Nothing." Lara replied a little too quickly.

"Then why are you blushing?" Elora teased.

Lara glared at both of them, sighing when she realized they wouldn't stop questioning her about it until she told them the truth."I was just thanking him for helping me last night."

"And what did he say?" Danyla asked with a grin.

"He said that he was just passing by when he heard some noises and saw Errol trying to..." She paused briefly then sighed and went on."He saw Errol trying to rape me. If it wasn't for him pulling that _seth'lin_ away from me when he did, I'd probably have a lot more to worry about than just a minor concussion."

Danyla's grin vanished, her expression immediately becoming apologetic and serious when she heard her friend's explanation. She placed a hand on Lara's shoulder and smiled weakly."You're okay now. That's more than enough for me."

"But why would Errol try to force himself on you?" Elora frowned, perplexed."He's always been a pain in the neck for you, but he never tried to physically harm you until last night. What in the name of the Creators could have possibly gotten into him?"

"I don't know." Lara said with a sigh and light shrug of her shoulders."I told him to leave me alone and next thing I knew he twisted my wrist and pinned me against a tree. He called me a whore and told me he didn't care what Master Varathorn or Keeper Zathrian did or said. He said I was his, whether I liked it or not, and that my virginity was his to take, whether I wanted him to or not." She shuddered at the memory.

"Well, thank the Creators Keeper Magnus arrived when he did then!" Elora breathed in relief, pulling Lara into a tight embrace to comfort her."I've never seen Keeper Zathrian and Master Varathorn that angry before! They both wanted to kill Errol and I can't say I blame them!"

Danyla nodded, her expression completely sombre."Athras and Sarel were just as livid. Sarel wouldn't stop cursing Errol out in Elvish and Athras was up all night because he couldn't stop thinking about how much he wanted to kill Errol for what he did to you. When you passed out, every single of us almost had a heart attack, but when Keepers Zathrian and Magnus said you just hit your head and needed some rest, we all calmed down a bit."

Lara gently touched the bandages on the back of her head, closing her eyes and shaking her head as she refused to cry. Danyla patted her on the back."Don't you worry, _lethallan_." She said."Keeper Zathrian is going to make sure Errol suffers for what he tried to do to you last night and that he never hurts anyone else like that again."

Lara could only hope her friend was right.

* * *

_Please remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames!_

_Elven Translations: _

_Hahren - Elder _

_Gisir - Keeper_

_Asha - Woman _

_Ir abelas - I'm sorry_

_Aravel - Wagon or tent used by the Dalish; humans call them "landships"_

_Sylaise - (Literally: The hearthkeeper) Goddess who gave the elves fire, taught them how to weave rope and thread, and to use herbs and magic for healing purposes. Sister of Andruil._

_Seth'lin - Thin blood _

_Da'assan - Little arrow_

_Ma halam - You are finished _

_Ma serannas - My thanks/Thank you _

_Dareth shiral - Farewell _

_Lethallan - Friend/Kinswoman (female)_

_Next up: Chapter 10:Emotions _


	12. Chapter 10:Emotions

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

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"But feelings can't be ignored, no matter how unjust or ungrateful they seem."  
― Anne Frank, _The Diary of a Young Girl_

**Chapter 10:Emotions**

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_Someone was crying. It sounded like a lost child in search of his or her parents. The sobs grew louder and louder with every passing second. Lara pitied the poor _da'len _who she knew couldn't be too far. She continued moving though the forest, noticing how with each step she took, she was getting closer to whoever was crying. Maybe she could help the _da'len_ get home to his or her family, assuming there was a family for the child to return to. Lara hoped there was. No child deserved to be alone or lost. She'd lost both of her parents at such a young age, and the thought of another child having to go through the same thing was heartbreaking to her._

_"Looking for someone, _da'len_?" A soft, feminine voice asked. Lara stopped in her tracks and twisted around, light blue eyes immediately going wide in awe when she saw who the speaker was. _

_Standing a few feet behind her was a beautiful _Elvhen_ woman she had never seen before. Her long orange tresses resembling flames were pulled up into a chignon whilst some of her other tresses stuck out on top of her head and looked like tiny flames that decorated her lovely hair and added to her breathtaking beauty. The color of her light blue eyes reflected a slightly fierce yet eternally soothing and loving nature filled with peace and calmness. __Her skin was light yellow, small balls of fire sparkling within her palms while her long green and black dress was composed of several plant roots and ropes tied together tightly into elegant patterns of leaves and flowers. _

_"Who are you?" Lara heard herself ask. She had never seen this woman before. And yet she felt as though she knew her for some reason. Strangely, the child she'd heard crying suddenly stopped sobbing and was replaced by the sound of birds chirping."Where am I?" She looked around in confusion. _

_The woman smiled."You are in my home, _da'len_. As for your question as to who I am, I have many titles. One of those titles is the Hearthkeeper." _

_"_Sylaise_." Lara whispered, eye wide."W-Why am I here? Is this a dream?" _

_"You are dreaming in the Beyond, yes." _Sylaise_ nodded."This is the only way that my brethren and I can speak to the _elvhen_. Thanks to the Dread Wolf's betrayal, we are trapped within the Beyond and cannot escape. One day we shall be free, but that day is has not yet come." Her voice was sad and dejected, but held no malice or anger at _Fen'Harel_ even though it was his fault she was trapped. Then again, _Sylaise_ was not known for being angry. She was a goddess of fire, yes, but she was also a lover of peace and healing. Even if she had been angry at _Fen'Harel_, time might have simply allowed her ire to melt away into sadness and despair. _

_"You still didn't tell me why I'm here." Lara stated impatiently, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow. _

Sylaise_ chuckled."You are like my brother and sister rolled into one. You have _Andruil's_ skill with a bow and some of her temper along with _June's_ kindness and love for crafts even if you hunt more than you do crafts with Master Varathorn." _

_Lara frowned."You **still** haven't answered my question." She said irritably. _

Sylaise_ sighed deeply."I suppose your irritation and suspicion is justified, given the circumstances. To answer your question, you are here because there are some people who I wish for you to meet. Well, whom I hope you will meet one day if they ever do come into existence." She muttered the last sentence with a worried frown on her face, something Lara found to be extremely suspicious and strange. The goddess snapped her fingers and vanished. A flash of white light temporarily blinded Lara before she heard two voices that sounded just like the child she'd heard crying minutes earlier._

_"_Mamae_!" Two small children appeared out of nowhere and ran to Lara, hugging her legs and giggling. Lara gaped at them, trying to comprehend what the heck was going on and failing miserably to do so. _

_"_Emma'tel na mamae_!" She finally managed to say, though her voice was filled with too much shock for her to speak clearly."I am not your mother!" She repeated, this time in the common tongue instead of elvish. _

_How on earth could __they be her children? They looked nothing like her. Their hair was long and dark black whilst hers was short and titian. Their skin was slightly lighter than hers. Not to mention the fact that she didn't even know these children, so how could she of all people possibly be their mother? _

_But as the two children looked up at her, Lara gasped. Both of the children had her light blue eyes and her nose. The girl's voice even sounded similar to hers from when she was just a _da'len_. They really were her children after all, but how was that possible? _

_"_Emma na mamae_." Was all Lara could say to them before the ground beneath her was suddenly gone and she was falling from the Beyond._

* * *

Lara sat up in bed, gasping. For a moment she was confused, but relaxed with a sigh upon realizing she was safely back at camp in one of the _aravels _and **not** falling to her death from the Beyond. That was doubtless the strangest dream she'd ever had. When did she even fall asleep? Had she simply dozed off during the day after Danyla and Elora left her alone to rest? It certainly seemed that way.

"_Aneth ara, lethallan_." A female voice said."It is to see you are awake. I hope you are feeling well."

A young elven girl at least ten years younger than Lara was sitting on a bench next to her cot with an open book in her lap. The girl's long blonde hair trailed down to her shoulders and her green eyes glinted with a certain kind of wisdom that was beyond someone her age. Her smile was wide and kind. It reminded Lara of when Elora smiled.

Closing her book, the elven girl set the tome aside and picked up her staff. She bowed her head."_Emma Marethari Talas, Vhen Sabrae_. Keeper Magnus asked me to look after you for the day in case you needed anything. It is a pleasure to meet you, though I do wish it was under better circumstances."

Lara inclined her head politely."_Ma serannas, lethallan_." She bit her lip, hesitating for a moment before speaking again."Where is Keeper Magnus, though?" She didn't want to sound rude. Marethari had watched over her while she slept off most of the day, after all.

But Marethari showed no hint of being offended or annoyed. The First of the Sabrae Clan simply smiled at her and giggled as if knowing a secret that no one else did. She quickly sobered up and continued to smile kindly at Lara."As you know, Keeper Magnus had some important matters to attend to this morning and asked me to look after you in his and Keeper Zathrian's absence. Both of them briefly came in to check on you just a few hours ago."

"Together?"

"No. Separately. Keeper Zathrian came here first and thanked me for my help and asked me to pass on his gratitude to Keeper Magnus. He sat beside you for a few minutes and prayed to the Creators to not let you have any nightmares. I also heard him muttering something under his breath about how Errol had finally gotten what was coming to him for what he tried to do to you last night."

Lara was touched to hear how worried Keeper Zathrian had been about her. She was also relieved that Errol had apparently received the punishment he deserved for how horribly he had treated Lara for so long as well as what he had tried to do to her the night before. She was still curious about Keeper Magnus coming to visit her too and was about to ask about him when Marethari, as if reading her mind, grinned and continued her explanation.

"As for Keeper Magnus, he came here half-an-hour after Keeper Zathrian did. He complimented me for taking care of you all day." 'Did he say anything else? Anything about me?' Lara thought but didn't say. Once again, however, Marethari seemed to read her mind and continued speaking. Her next words made Lara feel both touched and...slightly flustered to say the least."He did not say anything else, but he did briefly sit down next to her cot while you slept and...gazed at you with interest and curiosity. I watched him sit there for a moment before he soon stood up and left without a word. I have seen act in a similar way before but today it seemed a little more...stranger than usual. Then again, Keeper Magnus is a very unusual and mysterious man even to myself and the rest of the Sabrae Clan to put it mildly."

Lara did not disagree with those words at all.

* * *

"Give me one good reason why I should not kill this loathsome swine where he stands barely alive and crying pathetically for mercy as we speak!" Zathrian's words were practically growled through gritted teeth and his brows were knitted together into a scowl as he gestured toward Errol but kept his eyes on the other keepers in the _aravel _with him.

Magnus would be lying if he claimed that he disagreed with Zathrian. For all the mutual hostility between him and Zathrian, the two of them respected one another greatly and Zathrian had expressed his genuine gratitude toward Magnus for saving Lara from being raped by Errol last night. There had been a panic among the old man and Lara's friends after she passed out and was revealed to have had a minor concussion. Athras and Danyla had helped carry an unconscious Lara to one of the extra _aravels _to recover while Errol was taken to Zathrian's _aravel_ where he and the other keepers debated on what to do with Errol and how he should be punished.

"No one here disagrees with you, Keeper Zathrian." Magnus said as calmly as he could. And truth be told, **everyone** was in complete agreement with Zathrian. There was not a single person in this aravel, whether they personally knew Lara Tarsis of the Levine Clan or not, who wanted nothing more than to murder Errol where he stood."This man deserves the worst punishment in the world, and killing him would be more of a mercy than a punishment."

"Keeper Magnus is correct." Keeper Gisharel said with a nod. His expression, normally a stoical mask that made even Magnus feel uncomfortable, was now one of anger and contempt as he narrowed his eyes at Errol."Death is far too easy a punishment for this _seth'lin_ of an elf. To kill him is to spare him from the consequences of his actions. Is that what you want, Keeper Zathrian?"

Speaking of Errol, the disgusting lecher was currently kneeling on the floor and begging in tears like a frightened _da'len_ for his life. His hands were tied behind his back by rope so tightly that bruises had formed on his wrists. There were also a few cuts and bruises on his face from when Zathrian had electrocuted and beat him the night before in a blind fit of rage. Not that Magnus blamed the old man of course. Had this happened to one of his own clan members, he would have done the same thing to the man responsible without hesitation or remorse.

"I agree with Keepers Gisharel and Magnus." Keeper Ilshae said. Whatever remained of her once completely dark hair was almost indivisible beneath the many grey tresses that had grown very quickly over the years as she got older. She had no First yet, but assured her clan and fellow keepers that she would find one before her time on earth was finished.

Keeper Solan cleared his throat, bringing all attention to himself."If I may make a suggestion," He said slowly, as if wanting permission to speak,", why not simply exile this fool?" He pointed at Errol, whose eyes widened fearfully and flickered toward Zathrian.

The old man was obviously considering Solan's suggestion. Magnus understood the harshness of such a punishment, and did not disagree with it. Errol may have been a good hunter, but the forest was filled with _shemlen_, some good people and some malicious savages. Not to mention the wild animals that would kill anyone who went too deep into the forest alone. If Errol was sent away, he would immediately get lost and be dead within a week. And that was only if he was lucky. If he was unlucky...

Magnus shook his head. Exiling the man was harsh and savage in more ways than one considering what his fate would be when he was left alone in the forest. But it paled in comparison to what Thalia would suggest if she were still alive and in this _aravel_ instead of Magnus. The frightening woman would no doubt suggest they play _Fen'Harel's_ teeth with Errol. Few clans played it, mostly the one who spent most of their time in Antiva, but Thalia had played it herself at least three times. At least that was the number of times Magnus had seen her play it. Creators know how many other times she must've played it in the last before he became her First. To take another elf's clothes, lash their hands together, give them hard leather leggings with small nails driven into them to cause pain, and then count to hundred before giving chase...no one, not even Errol or any other disgusting lecher like him deserved such a fate.

Errol was sobbing and screaming at this point, desperate not to be sent away. Zathrian placed a hand on his head, putting the terrified man to sleep within a second and silencing his pathetic pleas for mercy. Disgust and fury was written across Zathrian's face as he glared down at an unconscious Errol. Magnus knew that he had already accepted Solan's suggestion and was not surprised nor disappointed when the old man turned to Solan and nodded his head at the other keeper who exchanged a look with the rest of the keepers before they all nodded together in agreement.

The decision was made. Before the sun set on this day, Errol of the Levine Clan would be exiled.

* * *

_Pleas remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames!_

_Elven Translations:_

_Da'len - Little child/Little one_

_Elvhen - Elven/Elves _

_Sylaise - (Literally: The hearthkeeper) Goddess who gave the elves fire, taught them how to weave rope and thread, and to use herbs and magic for healing purposes. Sister of Andruil. _

_Fen'Harel - (Literally: The Dread Wolf) An enigmatic trickster god of the elves, whose betrayal of both the benevolent Creators and malefic Forgotten Ones is the only explanation most elves have to explain the destruction of Arlathan._

_Andruil - Goddess of hunt _

_June - God of crafts_

_Mamae - Mother _

_Emma'tel na mamae - I am not your mother _

_Emma na mamae - I am your mother_

_Aravel - A wagon or tent used by the Dalish; humans call them "landships"_

_Aneth ara (Literally: My safe place) A sociable or friendly greeting, more commonly used among the Dalish themselves rather than with outsiders._

_Lethallan - Friend/Kinswoman (Female)_

_Emma Marethari Talas, Vhen Sabrae - I am Marethari Talas, of the Sabrae Clan_

_Ma serannas - My thanks/Thank you_

_Seth'lin - Thin blood_

_Next up: Chapter 11:Relief and Gratitude _


	13. Chapter 11:Relief and Gratitude

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

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"Her eyes were open, taking in my tired face... Her face twitched into what looked like a squinty smile, and in her wordless expression I saw gratitude, and relief, and trust. I wanted, desperately, not to disappoint her."  
— Vanessa Diffenbaugh (The Language of Flowers)

**Chapter 11:Relief and Gratitude**

* * *

"Are you sure don't want to stay inside and rest for tonight, _lethallan_?" Elora asked with a concerned frown as she and Danyla exited the _aravel_ with Lara.

"I'll be fine, Elora." Lara said, nodding."Keeper Magnus told me that the concussion was only minor and all I needed was to spend the day in bed, not touch the bandages, and I'll be back to normal in there days. As you can see, it's no longer daytime, so I can go outside as long as I don't get hurt again or touch the bandages."

"Speaking of Keeper Magnus, isn't that him over there?" Danyla pointed toward an _aravel_ Keeper Magnus was coming out of. His face wore the same stoical expression as always, though Lara could a strange glint in his eyes that looked almost like relief. She saw no sign of Errol and wondered how the keepers had decided to punish him.

Once again, Lara felt as if a stack of bricks had been dropped on top of her entire body when the same blonde elven woman she had seen before the archery competition tapped Magnus on the shoulder just like she'd done hours earlier and he turned to face her with a smile. The blonde woman crossed her arms, fixed him with an inquisitive stare, and gestured for him to speak. Magnus sighed, bringing up his hands to massage his temples as he spoke to the woman though Lara could not hear what either of them were saying. She resisted the urge to look away when the woman placed a comforting hand on Magnus's shoulder.

"It's him." Was all Lara could say through gritted teeth.

"Who's the woman talking to him?" Danyla asked, raising her eyebrows."Seems like they're more than just friends. I mean, look at how close she's standing to him and how they're smiling at each other."

"I saw her talking to him for a few minutes before the archery competition started." Lara blurted out."I don't know her name, though."

"She's pretty, I'll give her that much." Danyla said then froze as the woman suddenly met her eyes and grinned in an almost mischievous manner. She poked Magnus on the arm and pointed at the group of woman from the Levine Clan, obviously aware of how they'd been staring at her and Magnus from a distance and based on the way his eyes widened briefly upon seeing them before quickly narrowing, Magnus realized it as well.

"_Fenedhis lasa_, they're on to us!" The dark-haired huntress hissed under her breath.

"Maybe we should go before one of them gets angry at us for trying to eavesdrop on their conversation." Elora said nervously.

Both Lara and Danyla agreed and without hesitation, all three of them turned around and hurried away from the eyes of Magnus and his female friend. They stopped near one of the tables where food and drinks were being served. Danyla tried her best to remain as calm as possible as she poured a drink for herself and handed Lara a cup of water. Elora herself declined to drink anything and was just about to change the subject when someone cleared their throat behind them.

"Ahem." The three woman slowly turned around to see Keeper Magnus standing there with a polite smile on his face. He didn't look angry or annoyed, but it was obvious that he knew about them staring at him and attempting to eavesdrop on his conversation with his friend less than two minutes ago.

Silence settled between them for what like hours until Magnus lifted his chin and nodded at Lara."My apologies if I am interrupting your conversation with your friends, Lara. I merely wished to see how you feeling."

"You...know my name?" Lara tilted her head in surprise.

Magnus frowned, raising an eyebrow."Is there a reason I shoudn't? I did hear Keeper Zathrian and some of your clan mates say it while you were recovering and I did look after you for the night after you passed out. Would you prefer I called you by something other than your name or simply _lethallan_?"

Lara shook her head as she fought hard not to blush."N-No, of course not. I'm grateful for your help."

He smiled kindly."As I said earlier, I could not simply stand by and let him hurt you."

By the Creators, did he always have to sound so romantic without meaning to? Just being around him made her flustered. She swiftly changed the subject before he could notice her slightly flushed face."If I may ask," She whispered, though her voice grew louder with each word she spoke and she looked up to make eye contact with him,", was Errol punished for what he tried to do to me last night?"

His smile vanished. He studied her for a moment then nodded."Yes. He cannot hurt you or anyone else ever again."

"What was his punishment?" Elora inquired.

"Exile."

Lara was only half-surprised. The other half of her was relieved and almost...happy that Errol was gone."Good." She said darkly, lowering her eyes."I hope he gets killed by some wild animal or _shemlen_ hunters." Elora and Danyla nodded in agreement.

Silence settled between them once again, though it was soon broken when the musicians started playing a very loud and energetic tune and several elves went back to the dance floor with their friends and loved ones. The group heard a shout from behind them and turned to see Sarel having some trouble controlling the children who had decided to play a prank on him by covering him with a white sheet when he wasn't looking and pinning him to the ground. And if that wasn't bad enough, the little brats then began to jump on him like he was some kind of pillow. Sarel yelped in pain and shouted for help although it was almost impossible for anyone to hear him over the music.

"Sarel!" Elora gasped."He needs our help!"

"Allow me to take care of that." Magnus said as he got _Hahren_ Paivel's attention and pointed toward where a helpless Sarel was being jumped on by the children. Hahren Paivel nodded his appreciation and ran to Sarel's aid, ordering the brats to get off him and helping the younger man to his feet. He then turned back to the group of guilty-looking children and demanded to know whose idea it was to play a prank on Sarel. When none of them said anything in response, he declared that all of them were going to punished anyway and gestured for them to follow him as he went to tell their parents about what had happened. Elora excused herself to go and make sure Sarel wasn't hurt while Danyla heard Athras calling for her and happily ran off to dance with him, leaving Lara alone with Magnus.

Lara cursed her lack of luck for the past two nights now and did everything she could to avoid looking at Magnus, instead keeping her eyes on the dance floor where Danyla and Athras were joyfully laughing and dancing together. She also saw the blonde woman Magnus had spoken to earlier dragging an elven man she did not know to the dance floor and encouraging him to dance with her. She tried her best to ignore the feeling of relief that came from realizing that Magnus and the blonde elf were obviously just friends; the woman certainly wouldn't have risked upsetting him by dancing with another man right in front of him if that were the case, so it was clear to Lara that Magnus was not in any way romantically involved with the woman.

"You're not going to join your friends on the dance floor?" Magnus asked, breaking the silence between them and flicking his head in Athras and Danyla's direction.

Lara shook her head."I'm not much of a dancer." She raised an eyebrow and flicked her own head at him."What about you? Don't you want to join your friends on the dance floor?"

He shut his eyes and shook his head ever so slowly."I don't dance." He said simply.

She gave him a curious look."You mean you can't?"

It was his turn to raise an eyebrow at her, though while the look she'd given him was one of curiosity, his was one of slight annoyance."I said that I **don't** dance. I never said that I couldn't if I wanted to, but as I believe you meant to say just a moment ago, I am not a very enthusiastic fan of dancing." He spoke calmly without even the slightest hint of anger in his tone, though his eyes were icy and glinting with irritation.

Guilt filled her as she bowed her head apologetically and sighed."_Abelas_. I did not mean to insult you. I hope I didn't offend you. Please forgive me for speaking out of turn, _gisir_."

"Don't..." He said slowly as all the irritation on his face vanished and his expression softened,", call me that. I have a name like anyone else does and if you prefer to call me by it, I would be grateful."

"_Ma nuvenin_," She replied with a nod then looked away to hide her blush,", Magnus. And please call me Lara if you prefer. I don't like any formal elven titles other than _lethallan_ or _ma falon_ either."

"_Ma nuvenin_." He smiled as he repeated her words from only a minute ago.

She reluctantly turned her head and met his eyes. They stared at one another for several minutes until the energetic tune of the musicians ended and was replaced by the same slower and romantic one that she'd heard the night before. From the corner of her eye she could aome couples dancing together slowly while a few others stood away from the dance floor and held their loved ones close to them as they listened to the lovely tune. She could feel the heat rising to her face and she knew that he was still looking at her with dark blue eyes of his. The fact that she hadn't already started blushing like an idiot was a miracle of some sort.

He cleared his throat abruptly, grabbing her attention. She jumped slightly in surprise, though her eyes went wide in complete and utter shock when she realized he had taken a step closer to her and was offering her his hand. It didn't require a genius to figure out what he was doing.

"May I have this dance, Lara?" He asked, his voice soft and eyes glinted with an emotion she could not recognize.

Just hearing him say her name was enough to make her turn three different shades of red and before she could stop herself, she smiled at him and accepted his hand with a nod."Yes, you may." She whispered, forcing herself to meet his eyes as he smiled in something resembling relief and led her to the dance floor.

Lara looked around as they walked, ignoring some of the jealous glares she got from other women as well smirks as of amusement and surprise from Danyla and Magnus's blonde friend. She rolled her eyes when Danyla winked at her and could've sworn she saw Magnus do the same when his female friend did the exact same thing to him.

They came to a stop in center of the dance floor among several other couples. Magnus carefully placed his hand on her back while she put her own hand on his shoulder before their free hands met and slowly began to move together to the music. Lara felt him squeeze her fingers slightly and gave a small smile as she squeezed his fingers in as well. She sighed inwardly and found herself feeling pleasantly surprised when she realized what a good dancer he was.

Magnus moved gracefully across the floor, his steps quick yet still slow enough for her to keep up with him. Never before had she enjoyed herself so much while dancing. She'd danced with other men in the past such as Master Varathorn, Athras, Sarel, and one occasion that she would continue to regret for the rest of her life, Errol. Not only was he the worst dancer in the entire world, but also a pervert and a worthless piece of trash. Just the thought of him made her shudder.

"Are you alright?" Magnus's concerned voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

Lara stared into his mysterious, dark blue eyes for a moment as if lost in them. She quickly snapped back into reality again, giving him a hesitant nod in response.

"I'm fine." He frowned, obviously seeing through her lie. Lara supposed she should've known better than to try lying to a keeper, especially when he'd saved her from being violated and taken care of her head injury while she was unconscious. She wanted to apologize, but hesitated upon seeing a glint of understanding in his eyes, as if he already knew what she was thinking and had no intentions of forcing the issue on her. At least not right now.

Her thoughts were cut off when he suddenly twirled her around a bit then pulled her closer to him. Lara couldn't stop smiling as she danced with him. It had been years since she actually felt so...pleased just by spending time with a man. Maybe it was because Magnus was everything Errol was not. He was kind, wise, graceful, and understanding whilst Errol was clumsy, annoying, rude, and as of recently, a lecherous clod.

Perhaps she was just fooling herself, though. Magnus may have helped her, but that did not mean he felt anything romantic toward her. He already had his hands full with leading the Sabrae Clan **and** refusing the advances of several other women who were also infatuated with him. He'd probably asked her to dance just as a way to prove to her that he could dance very well when he wanted to and to tease her a little too. She was just someone he'd met by chance and decided to help out of pity. Nothing more, nothing less.

Magnus leaned her back slightly toward the floor, drawing a gasp from her lips as he swiftly pulled her back up, their faces now inches apart and so close that Lara could feel his warm breath against her lips. She wondered if he was as drawn to her as she was to him. It seemed impossible...and yet something shone in those dark blue eyes of his that made her feel as if she was not the only one of them who was besotted by the other. He leaned in, his lips just about to touch hers when the song suddenly ended and they immediately put some distance between each other though their fingers were still linked together.

Disappointment seemed to shine in Magnus's eyes as he avoided her gaze and led her away from the dance floor. Was he disappointed over not being able to kiss her? Why would he even want to do something like with her of all people? Or did she simply imagine him leaning in so close to her? Or was it merely an impulse of his that he hadn't noticed until the song ended? Should she even even bring it up to him and if she did, how would he react? Would he feign ignorance and accuse her of lying?

All of these questions rang through Lara's head as she reluctantly released Magnus's hand and followed him to the serving tables. She noticed how he avoided so much as glancing at any of the extremely alcoholic beverages and hesitantly took a cup of cider, sipping from it so slowly that it almost looked as if he was afraid of drinking too much of it at once. It was then that she decided to listen to her gut and question him about what had apparently almost happened between them less than a minute ago.

"You tried to kiss me." She said slowly, wondering what his reaction would be.

His eyes widened briefly and glinted with realization and Lara instantly knew she made the right choice by listening to her gut and confronting him with the truth. Lara could tell he was not going to deny it and was not at all surprised when he nodded his head curtly in response. He clasped his hands behind his back and met her eyes before speaking.

"I did." Lara raised an incredulous eyebrow. Most men would never have admitted to such a thing so calmly and without hesitation, but then she reminded herself that Magnus Mahariel was not like most men. He always gave off an air of superiority and confidence, yet Lara could tell that he was hiding something behind that stoical expression and mysteriously attractive pair of dark blue eyes. If only she could figure out what that something was.

"_Abelas_." He said, catching her off guard with his genuinely remorseful visage and tone of voice.

Lara stared at him in confusion."Why are you apologizing?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

It his turn to stare at her in confusion now."For...invading your personal space...to put it mildly."

"I'm glad you did." She said."Or that you...tried to, at least."

He looked at her like she'd grown a second head for a moment, unsure of what to say. When he finally spoke, his voice was soft and slow as if he was explaining something to a confused _da'len_."Lara," He said, his smile sad and his eyes perhaps even a little bit annoyed,", it wouldn't work out between us."

She frowned."I never said-"

He held up a hand to interrupt her."But you **implied **it." He stated calmly."And I'm warning you right at this moment that it would **not** work out between us. Not now, not ever."

"Why do you think that?" She demanded, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow. The huntress had no idea why, but hearing him say that they could never have any kind of romantic relationship made her feel so...angry and hurt.

He smiled sadly."I don't think, I know."

It took Lara a second to realize that as soon he finished speaking, he had turned and walked away. She blinked, shocked that he would just walk away from from like that and did not hesitate to follow him.

"Wait!" She called softly, grateful that the loud music kept anyone from hearing them and that the many crowds of people everywhere concealed them from view as well.

He was just about to open the door to his _aravel_ when he heard her calling for him and tentatively did as she asked, waiting for her to catch up with him. When she finally did, he sighed deeply and gave her a pleading look."Don't try to push this issue, Lara." He pleaded, not even bothering to hide his true emotions anymore."Nothing can ever happen between us. It's not possible. Please just accept that."

Lara frowned, taking a step closer to him. Both of them were relieved that there was no one else around to hear or see them. Magnus didn't want anyone to know what he was really like behind the stoical mask he always wore and Lara had no desire for them to be spied on.

She reached for his hand, feeling minor surprise when he stepped back and shook his head, eyes still pleading with her not to continue this conversation. She ignored his silent plea and forced herself to look him in the eye."Why are you so quick to deny the possibility of us ever-"

"You don't know me." He cut her off, eyes narrowed. It sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than her.

"I know that you're a good man."

"Is that all?" He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, unconvinced and unimpressed.

"You saved me from Errol."

"I was just trying to help. Besides, **anyone** could've simply been passing by like I was and heard him attacking you."

"Maybe. But you and I both know that **anyone** could've also simply chosen to keep quiet or **help** Errol attack me. You, however, decided to help me instead of leaving me to be violated like someone else **might** have done. And **that** makes you a good man in my book. And I'm sure there are more than a few people in your clan as well as other elves who would agree with me."

"Are you always this...stubborn?" There was a hint of amusement and curiosity in his tone, though he hid it well.

"Are you always this...interesting?" Her voice sounded slightly flirtatious, and a smile teased her lips as she took a step closer to him. He didn't back away this time, much to her relief.

"No." He replied, cold as ice. Her relief vanished when he took another step away from her. She could see his emotionless mask slowly starting to slip back on, and desperately wanted to get rid of it."And this conversation is over."

"No, it's not!" She said angrily, grabbing his arm to stop him from leaving again."Don't you **dare** walk away from me!"

Magnus glanced down at his arm and carefully pulled it out of her grasp. Lara could see he was struggling to keep his stoical mask on and that she was making progress in making it slip off. She took another step toward him, holding back a smile as she knew she succeeded in cornering him against the door to his _aravel_ and saw him hesitating to open it.

Just when she was about to say something, however, her head suddenly started spinning and she let out a gasp of surprise and pain. Magnus quickly caught her by the arms to keep her from falling when her knees gave way. His expression was one of shock and concern as he led her into his _aravel_ and closed the door behind them. He helped her sit down on a bench and muttered a healing spell that made her feel a little less dizzy.

Lara cursed herself for falling so easily to a simple spell of dizziness in front of Magnus while they were in the middle of a very important conversation.'He must think I'm some sort of clumsy idiot now.' She groaned inwardly.

"You shouldn't have gotten out of bed tonight." He sighed as he examined the bandages on the back of her head.

She gave him a baffled look."But I thought you said I could-"

"Well, I was wrong then!" He snapped then sighed upon seeing the surprise and slight hurt on her face when he yelled at her. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he let out a groan and sighed again."_Ir abelas_. I should not have yelled at you like that. You...didn't deserve that."

Lara bit her lip, nodding slowly in response. She wanted to say something, but did not know what, so she chose to remain silent as he muttered another healing spell and gave her a cup filled with a strange, odorous liquid she had never seen before, telling her she had to drink it all if she wanted to make the dizziness go away. He chuckled softly at the disgusted look on her face when she tasted the bitter liquid. She glared at him, but said nothing and did as he told her to.

"_Ma serannas_." She murmured.

Magnus tilted his head, and smiled at her. "_Madar'creoso_."

Lara looked away to hide her blush. Despite her minor concussion and brief spell of dizziness, she decided that today wasn't such a bad today after all.

* * *

_Elven translations:_

_Lethallan - Friend/Kinswoman (Female) _

_Aravel - Wagon or tent used by the Dalish; humans call them "landships"_

_Fenedhis leave - Common races _

_Shemlen - Humans _

_Hahren - Elder_

_Abelas - (Literally: Sorrow) Sorry _

_Gisir - Keeper_

_Ma nuvenin - As you wish _

_Ma falon - My friend _

_Da'len - Little child/Little one _

_Ir abelas - I'm sorry _

_Ma serannas - My thanks/Thank you _

_Madar'creoso - You are welcome_

_Next up: Chapter 12:Tension _


End file.
